Love is Immortal
by ChoCedric
Summary: AU from end of PoA. Sirius and Remus take Harry in to live with them. Under their care, he finds out what it is like to be loved unconditionally. All three learn from each other, and discover the true power of family. R/Hr, H/G.
1. Confrontation in the Shrieking Shack

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Author's Note: Welcome to my story, Love is Immortal. I had this posted before, but took it down because looking back on it, I'm not very happy with some of the sentence structure, so I'm doing some major edits to it. I also lost inspiration for writing it, I hadn't written any more for over a year. But I think once I get what I have of it posted, I'll be ready to write it again. For all those who have already read this story, you don't need to reread it again, but if you do, please review so I can get as many reviews as I had before. For all new readers, I would love to hear feedback from you too!

Chapter Notes: I realize that I made Peter rather different in this story than he was in canon, but I think there was more to J.K.'s Peter than met the eye. I know I made him a little bit insane, but that's always how I've written him. So I'm aware of the characterization.

Love is Immortal

By: ChoCedric

Chapter 1: Confrontation in the Shrieking Shack

"On three, Remus?" said Sirius Black. He and Remus Lupin were getting ready to force Peter Pettigrew into his human form. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were looking on with anxious faces, and an unconscious Severus Snape was also in the room. Harry and his two friends had knocked him out with the expelliarmus charm.

"I'm ready, Sirius," said Remus. "One, two, three!"

There was a burst of blue light, and all of a sudden, Scabbers the rat turned into a man. He had watery blue eyes and a bald patch on his head. He was a very short, plump man, and his eyes darted all around the room, immediately looking for an exit.

"Hello, Peter," said Remus in a casual voice. "Long time, no talk. Isn't that right?"

"R-R-Remus! S-S-Sirius! My old f-f-friends!" Peter Pettigrew stammered. "H-H-how nice to see you!"

"Don't give me that bullshit," sneered Sirius in a dangerous voice. "We're having a little chat, all of us here, if you'd have the decency to join us."

"Yes, we are," said Remus, still in that casual voice. "We're having a little chat about the night James and Lily were murdered."

"I s-s-swear, it wasn't me!" squeaked Peter. "It was S-S-Sirius Black, the spy! He even l-l-laughed about it afterwards!"

"That may be," said Remus, "but how are you still alive? Witnesses say you were killed in the explosion."

"I h-h-hid for all these years because I was s-s-scared!" squealed Peter. "I k-k-knew he'd come back and try to k-k-kill me again!"

"How dare you!" Sirius snarled. "You think you can fool Remus, but oh, no, you bloody well can't! You, Peter, are a bastard!"

"Language, Sirius," said Remus. "There are children in the room."

"Y-Y-You killed Lily and James!" Peter shouted. "You were their Secret Keeper!"

"Don't play games with me, Pettigrew!" shouted Sirius. "Admit it, you coward! We switched Secret Keepers! You turned them over to Voldemort, didn't you?"

"Don't say the Dark Lord's name!" yelled Pettigrew.

Hermione suddenly let out an "Oh!"

"What is it, Hermione?" said Ron.

"Only Death Eaters call You-Know-Who the Dark Lord," Hermione chirped. "That means that Peter ..."

"I told you she's the smartest witch of her age," said Remus fondly. "I'm afraid you've been caught out, Peter."

All the color drained from Peter Pettigrew's face. Sirius let out a hysterical laugh. "Not very smart, are you, Wormtail?" he cackled. "Can't even deny it without slipping up!"

All of a sudden, Peter's face changed. He still looked scared, but there was also anger on his face, and when he next spoke, no stutter came from his mouth.

"You know what?" he shouted. "I don't deny it, Black! Because did you know, back in those days, I had feelings too! Yes, I joined because I was scared, but do you know why else I joined? I was damn jealous of you! I'm not smart like you and Remus, not like James was! When we did the Animagus transformation, guess who took the longest to get it? Me! And guess who always laughed at me and picked on me and then declared it was all in good humor? You two and James! When we took Polyjuice Potion at the end of our sixth year and we all pretended to be each other, EVERYONE TALKED TO ME WHEN I WAS YOU, AND IGNORED ME WHEN I WAS ME! AND JAMES POTTER GOT EVERYTHING, I KILLED HIM to get revenge, to get revenge on him!"

"You're mad, Pettigrew! Absolutely barking!" bellowed Sirius

"I'm not finished!" spat Peter with equal venom. "And then you, Sirius Black, the one who always laughed at me for being pathetic Peter, you're so damn predictable that I knew exactly what you were going to do. I waited for you, and when you showed up, we had that chase, and then I blew up the street and yelled that you'd betrayed Lily and James. You always think you have the best plans, but this one blew up in your face! So when the street blew up and you stood there laughing like a madman, you were playing right into my hands! I had you, Black, I had you! You'd be going to hell on Earth for all the hell you put me through! This time, I'd have the last laugh!"

"How could you not tell us, Peter?" croaked Remus, looking shell-shocked. "How could you not tell us for all those years that that was how you were feeling? We were your friends, Peter! How could you throw that all away for a bunch of murderers? How could you stoop down to that level?"

"The Dark Lord accepted me for who I was," said Peter. "And friends are supposed to know each other's feelings without them telling you. How many years were we friends, Remus? Ten years! A decade! And you and Sirius were so stupid not to know! You call me pathetic? Look at yourselves!"

Sirius lunged at Peter, but Remus held him back. "You filthy rat!" he snarled angrily. "You think murdering James, Lily, and Harry was the answer to your problems? You pathetic piece of scum! We never should have been your friend! You sonuvabitch! How dare you! HOW DARE YOU!"

"Calm down, Sirius," said Remus in a controlled voice. "We'll take care of Peter."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all looking extremely surprised at the turn of events. Harry couldn't believe what he had just heard. Just because Peter had had problems with the three other Marauders certainly didn't call for murder and imprisonment in Azkaban, and for Remus to be completely alone! Harry thought this man was disgusting. If anyone deserved Azkaban, it was Peter Pettigrew.

Suddenly, Hermione said, "Professor Snape's stirring!"

Peter tried to transform back, but there was an "Oh no you don't, Pettigrew!" from Sirius, and he quickly cast an anti-transformation charm on him. This meant that no matter what, Peter couldn't transform. Another horrible laugh escaped Sirius's lips. "You won't be going anywhere tonight, Peter," he said softly.

Severus Snape slowly sat up, looking around the Shack. His face looked shocked as he looked at Peter. "Pettigrew?" he mumbled. "What are you doing here?"

"Believe me, he's just given us the whole diatribe of why he felt it was okay to murder Lily, James, and Harry, and throw Sirius into hell for twelve years," said Remus, anger coursing through his words.

"And you really think I should believe you had nothing to do with it, Black?" Snape said, a sneer forming on his face.

"Please, Professor," said Hermione timidly, "Sirius had nothing to do with it. It was all Peter."

"Didn't I tell you to shut your mouth, you stupid little girl?" snarled Snape. "It doesn't matter at this point whether it was Pettigrew or Black. The fact is that you, Weasley, and Potter are in the company of a mass murderer, not to mention a werewolf ..."

"Listen here, Snape," growled Sirius. "There's nothing wrong with Remus. And don't yell at the girl; the fact is, she was the one who caught Peter out by hearing him call Voldemort "The Dark Lord.""

There was a shudder from Ron and Hermione at the sound of the name, and Pettigrew screamed, "Don't say his name!"

"Oh shut up, Pettigrew!" snapped Sirius. "Afraid of your precious Master's name, are you?"

"ENOUGH!" Snape roared. "We're going to Dumbledore, all of us! We're going to sort this entire rubbish out! Pettigrew, if it was you, then you're going to confess! Black, you imbecile, no matter what happens, you'll never be innocent in my eyes. We all know you're capable of murder anyway."

"Please, Severus," Remus said calmly. "That happened years and years ago. Can't we just leave that alone?"

"No!" Snape shouted. "Black had you ready to kill me! But very well, let's go, NOW!"

"I want to get rid of this little piece of filth first!" said Sirius, pointing at Peter. "Let's kill this little sonuvabitch before he deems it okay to murder anyone else!"

"No!" Harry suddenly screamed. "No, Sirius, don't!"

"Harry," said Sirius, "this filth here is the reason you have no parents. This vermin ..."

"I know," said Harry heavily. "But I don't think my parents would want you to become a killer, just for Peter. We'll take him back to the castle, he can confess, and then he can go to Azkaban."

"Well," said Sirius, "you're the one who should get the right to decide. You're a better person than me, believe me there."

Peter looked half-insane as he stared at Harry. "That's fine!" he shouted. "I'll confess! I'll go to Azkaban and then one of the Dark Lord's followers will break us out! Oh, the Dark Lord will return, and I will be at his side!"

"You're barking mad," said Remus, and Sirius snorted. "Very well. But believe me, you're not going to get out of there. You can rot away, for all I care. Oh, do any of you have the time?"

"It's eight o'clock," Hermione said promptly.

"Oh!" Remus exclaimed. "I should stay here. I'm about to transform, and I didn't take my potion tonight. I'm not safe. All of you, get out, quickly!"

Everything went into action. "Stupefy!" said Sirius, pointing his wand at Peter, and he slumped forward, unconscious.

"What does that spell do?" asked Ron curiously.

"Oh, we haven't learned it yet, but I've read about it," explained Hermione. "It's called the Stunning spell. It makes whoever it's cast on unconscious until they're woken up again with the Enervate spell."

"Oh," said Ron. Sirius then used a spell that caused ropes to shoot out of his wand, and they were bound to Peter. Sirius and Remus shook hands, smiling at each other. "Good luck tonight, mate," Sirius said. Ron thanked the werewolf for healing his leg; he had studied healing a lot over the years. Then he, Peter, Snape, Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way down the stairs. As they made their way back to the school, they heard the sound of growling and howling. "That'll be Remus," said Sirius. "I hope he fares well tonight."

"That mongrel will be fine, Black," said Snape.

"Close your mouth, Snivellus, or I'll shut it for you!" said Sirius angrily.

"Please don't fight, you two," Hermione pleaded.

"Not one more word, Granger!" Snape warned. Hermione snapped her mouth shut.

There was no one in the halls, which was a good thing, because they didn't have time to stop and talk. When they got to Dumbledore's office, he and Cornelius Fudge, who was also there, were extremely surprised to see them. It was the first time Harry had seen the Headmaster with pure shock on his face as he saw Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew along with the trio and Snape.

"Please explain, Sirius." were his first words.

Sirius launched into the explanation. He told Dumbledore and Fudge about all three Marauders becoming Animagi for Remus all those years ago, even though he was scared of what the Minister might do to him. Would he throw him back in Azkaban for doing something illegal?

Once he was done talking, he revived Peter. Peter gave his little speech that he had given in the Shrieking Shack. When he had finished, Cornelius Fudge's mouth hung open in shock. After a few moments, he finally spoke.

"Well, that is an extraordinary confession," he said. "Peter Pettigrew, you are hereby arrested for the murder of Lily and James Potter and the attempted murder of Harry Potter. You are also charged with the murder of twelve innocent muggles and the framing of an innocent man, Sirius Black. Sirius Black, you are hereby freed from all the charges you were arrested for twelve years ago. You will be given fifty thousand galleons compensation from the Ministry as an apology. But you will need to pay five thousand of that back for becoming an illegal Animagus. Pettigrew, you will also be asked to pay that fine. Sirius, you will need to register as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Fudge," said Sirius. "I can do that. I'm glad I'm free now, although I'll never get twelve years of my life back. And I can pay the fine; I'm just glad you're not throwing me back in Azkaban."

"It doesn't seem fair, somehow," said Fudge. "It doesn't seem right to put you back in there after being there for twelve years for something you didn't do. As far as getting that part of your life back, I'm sorry, but that's all we can do. Come along, Pettigrew. You will be held at the Ministry tonight, and tomorrow, you will be escorted to Azkaban."

Sirius felt very relieved. He'd rather pay all the galleons in the world than spend another day in Azkaban with the dementors.

"Fine," squeaked Pettigrew. "But Fudge, you will not win! The Dark Lord shall return!"

"Shut your filthy mouth, Pettigrew!" snarled Sirius.

Fudge laughed. "The Dark Lord is dead, Pettigrew. Now let's go!"

Peter gave Sirius a horrible look before he was led out the door by Fudge. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore, and Snape were left in the room.

"Is Remus in the Shack still?" asked Dumbledore.

"Yes, he is," said Snape. "Being a wolf. The imbecile forgot to take his potion tonight."

"Now, now, Severus," Dumbledore chided. "Tonight has been an extraordinary night for all of us."

Snape looked furious. His school enemy was getting free! After all the years of wanting Sirius Black to be rotting away, he was actually getting free!

"If that is all, you may go, Severus," Dumbledore said. "And thank you for looking into the situation in the Shack. That was very commendable of you."

"Yes, Headmaster," Snape said angrily. He got out of his chair, stalked to the door, glowered at Sirius, and left.

"So," said Sirius, "what happens now? Has anyone told you, Harry, that I'm your godfather?"

"Yes, I did find that out," Harry answered.

"Well," said Sirius, "how would you like to come and live with me? I could find a house somewhere; I still have plenty of money left over from my account from before I went to Azkaban. Now, I have forty-five thousand extra galleons from the Ministry. You can be my housemate, that is, if you'd like to live with me. If you're happy with the Dursleys, that's fine as well."

"Me, live with you?" Harry exclaimed, his face splitting into a wide grin. "Me, leave the Dursleys? Oh, that would be wonderful!"

Dumbledore smiled warmly. "That can definitely be arranged," he said. "But I do have one thing to tell you. There is only a week before school ends, and Sirius and I will have to finalize some things before he becomes your legal guardian. So I am afraid you will have to go back to the Dursleys for about the first week of summer, but then Sirius will come and pick you up and take you with him."

Harry's spirits dampened a little at this, but if the end result was living with Sirius, he could deal with the Dursleys for one more week. "Okay," he said. "I can live with that."

"Oh, please, Albus, can't you let him stay here until everything's finalized?" Sirius whined.

Dumbledore shook his head. "I'm sorry, Sirius, but that's not possible. No student is allowed to stay at Hogwarts over the summer, you know that."

"Yes, I know, I was just hoping," said Sirius. "But I suppose if Harry's okay with it, it'll have to do."

"Good," Dumbledore grinned.

"Oh, did I not tell you, Harry?" Sirius smiled. "It was me who bought you the Firebolt."

"See, I told you!" said Hermione loudly.

"Yeah, but it wasn't jinxed, was it?" muttered Ron.

"You've got a smart friend there, Harry," said Sirius. "As Mad-Eye Moody always says, CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

"Who's Mad-eye Moody?" asked Harry.

"Oh, I'll tell you about him later," said Sirius. "Anyway, how did you like that broom?"

Harry grinned at Sirius. "I love it," he exclaimed happily. "Thank you so much!"

"No problem," Sirius grinned.

Dumbledore smiled gently at the two of them.

"Professor Dumbledore?" said Hermione.

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"How's Hagrid?"

"As well as can be expected," the Headmaster answered, his expression turning sad. "With Buckbeak's death, he is very upset. I'm sure he would appreciate it if the three of you visited him tomorrow."

"We will," said Harry.

"Good," said Dumbledore. "And I would just like to stress to the three of you that what you did tonight was very foolish. Because of the circumstances, I am not going to take any points, but I just want to remind you how dangerous Sirius Black could have been. The fact that you were in the same room as Peter Pettigrew, who admitted to murdering a lot of people, and didn't get hurt was very fortunate. I would like to ask you to never allow yourselves to be in that kind of situation again, if you can help it."

"Yes, Professor," said Hermione earnestly, Harry and Ron echoing her. "We're sorry."

"It's all right," said Dumbledore. "Just as long as you three know. You all could have been killed tonight. It was a good thing that Severus was there."

Ron looked like he was about to make a disparaging comment, but Hermione gave him a warning look and he closed his mouth.

"What's going to happen to Sirius now?" Harry asked.

"Well, I'll give him a room in the castle," Dumbledore answered. "He can stay here for the time being. Now, I think it's time for you three to go to your dorms. You can visit with Sirius tomorrow after classes are over. After all, there must be plenty to catch up on."

"There is," said Sirius, patting Harry's shoulder. "Farewell, Harry, Ron, Hermione. Get a good night's sleep." As much as he wanted to talk to Harry all night long, he could tell the boy was exhausted.

"Goodbye, Sirius," said Hermione.

"See ya, Sirius," said Harry. "Wow, I have a godfather!"

"Yes, you do," smiled Sirius. "And you'll be leaving the Dursleys to come live with me. I'll tell you everything you want to know about your parents."

"Thank you," said Harry, and with a light heart, he, Ron, and Hermione left the office. Wow, he thought silently to himself. I have a godfather! I HAVE A GODFATHER!

"You're a happy boy, aren't you, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, I am." he answered as they made their way back to their dormitory.


	2. Year's End

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews! I am so thrilled that a few of my old faithful reviewers from last time found me again, this is fantastic! Your kind words mean so, so much to me. I am so sorry it has taken me this long to get back to this story, but I promise that once I upload all that I've written, I'll write more!

Chapter 2: Year's End

Severus Snape was still beyond livid. He had hardly slept, and when he woke up, all he wanted to do was hex somebody into the next century. He joined his other Slytherins at breakfast, but instead of sitting at the staff table, where that stupid mongrel Lupin was sitting, he sat at the head of the Slytherin table. Immediately, the people around him started to talk.

"Look at Professor Lupin," Blaise Zabini exclaimed. "What's wrong with him? He looks so tired."

"And his clothes are so shabby," Pansy Parkinson snickered. "He looks like he's been in the forest all night!"

"As a matter of fact, Miss Parkinson," Snape said silkily, satisfaction dripping from every word, "he might as well have been. In case you don't know, your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is a werewolf."

xxx

Harry, Ron, and Hermione went down to breakfast all in a good mood. Harry was the happiest of all. As they walked into the Great Hall, they chatted amiably. Ron was still thankful that he hadn't had to deal with Madame Pomfrey the night before when it came to his broken leg. Remus had desperately wanted to be a healer when he'd graduated from Hogwarts, but his lycanthropy made that dream never come true. But he'd learned all the healing spells he could, so when Sirius in dog form had broken Ron's leg, the DADA professor had easily fixed it.

The Gryffindors' moods changed, however, when they sat down at their table. There was chatter all around them from the different houses, and you wouldn't believe the things they were saying.

"He's a werewolf!"

"Professor Lupin's a werewolf!"

"Monster!"

"How could Dumbledore do such a thing as to hire a werewolf?"

"I told you Dumbledore's the worst Headmaster the school's ever had," drawled the voice of Draco Malfoy. His two goons, Crabbe and Goyle, nodded their heads in agreement.

"How on Earth did they find out?" whispered Ron.

"I bet you it was Snape," said Hermione. "He was so angry last night. He probably told the Slytherins to get revenge on Sirius and Remus for not getting into trouble."

"Foul git," said Harry angrily.

As classes passed that day, everyone kept mentioning Remus's condition; the hallways were chock-full of rumors.

"I'd better stay away from him," Lavender Brown whispered to Parvati Patil. "Or he'll bite me. I thought he was so nice."

"Well, Professor Trelawney did say we had to watch out for savage beasts," whispered Parvati back.

"Would you two shut up?" Ron scowled.

"Don't be rude, Ron," said Lavender crossly.

After classes were over, Harry, Ron, and Hermione went to see Hagrid. They knew the gamekeeper was probably devastated over Buckbeak's death. Sure enough, when they arrived, Hagrid wouldn't let them in at first. But when he finally opened the door, saying, "Oh, it's yeh three," he had red, puffy eyes and was holding a handkerchief.

"Are you all right, Hagrid?" said Hermione in a concerned tone.

"No," sniffled Hagrid. "Beaky's gone. That foul executioner Mcnair killed 'im!"

"I'm sorry, Hagrid," Harry said. "I'm sorry we couldn't help."

"It's not yer fault," said Hagrid, blowing his nose; it sounded like a foghorn. "Sit down, all of yeh. I heard abou' Sirius Black gettin' free. I just want to tell yeh three that yeh could've been killed! What were yeh thinkin' out here on the grounds las' night? It doesn' matter that it was abou' me, yeh three shouldn' have bin out there!"

"I know, Hagrid," said Ron, "but we had to come and see you."

"Bollocks," said Hagrid. "Not when there's a mass murderer on the loose. I know it was Pettigrew now, but still, yeh three were very stupid to do that." He plopped tea and rock cakes down in front of them.

"Dumbledore was there when Beaky passed," Hagrid continued. "Great man, Dumbledore ... great man ..."

"Yes, he is," Harry agreed.

"So, arry," said Hagrid, "amazin' turn of events las' night, eh? You gonna go live with Sirius Black now? Never woulda thought he was innocent. He was in the street, laughin' like a maniac after that explosion. He looked as guilty as sin."

"Maybe he was laughing," Hermione said, "because he couldn't believe what had happened, that Peter Pettigrew had fooled him. Some people laugh at situations when they're not at all funny, but they feel better laughing because they know if they don't, they'll start crying."

"Good point, ermione," said Hagrid. "Knew Sirius Black back in the day. Always hangin' around with Potter, Lupin, an that Pettigrew imp. Always causin' trouble, but they were fine lads. Lupin's resignin', you know. He's a werewolf an' all, an' now everyone knows what he is because Snape told the Slytherins, he thinks it's better if he doesn' teach here anymore."

"No!" Harry exclaimed loudly. "He can't leave, he just can't! He's the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had!"

Ron and Hermione also looked crestfallen at this news. "Wonder who we'll have next year," muttered Ron. "A vampire, maybe?"

xxx

After they had gone to visit Hagrid, Ron and Hermione told Harry he should go and visit Sirius on his own. They figured that because they were godfather and godson, the two needed time to themselves. So Harry said goodbye to his friends and went to Professor Lupin's office to ask him where Sirius was rooming.

When he got there, he saw Remus packing things into a battered trunk, the same trunk he and his friends had seen on the Hogwarts Express at the beginning of the year.

"Hello, Harry," said Remus as he looked up from his packing. "How are you today?"

"Very well, Professor, but I wish you weren't leaving," said Harry sadly.

"I know, but parents won't want their children being taught by a werewolf," Remus said gently. "And after all, you'll be seeing me sooner than you think. Sirius and I talked this morning, and …" His face suddenly grew wary, like he didn't want to say anymore.

"Come on, Professor," Harry encouraged.

we decided that I'm coming to live with both of you too. My living conditions at the present time are … uh … not the best, and Sirius offered to house me as well. I promise I won't get in your way, though."

"Oh, that's great!" Harry said happily, his spirits lifting. "You won't bother us, you can stay as near to me as you want! You're the best Defense teacher we've ever had, and I would've been upset not to see you anymore."

"Ah, thank you, Harry," Remus said, touched. "Now, are you looking for Sirius?"

"Yes."

"Well, he's staying in my living quarters. Professor Dumbledore fixed up an extra bed for him to sleep in. If you'd like, I'll take you there."

"That'll be great," Harry said. He followed Remus into the office and then to another door. They walked into a nice living room with a fireplace. Sitting on the sofa was Sirius Black, reading a book called 500 Pranks to Play on your Rivals.

"Oh, Sirius," said Remus laughingly. "Not reading that book again, are you?"

"Yep, I am," said Sirius. "I want to get back at Snape for telling the Slytherins what you are. Actually, I want to do more than prank him; I want to get him fired!" he said, anger starting to come through.

"Sirius, pranking him or firing him isn't going to help. I appreciate you sticking up for me, but we're not school children anymore. We're adults. You and Severus somehow have to get past this rivalry."

"Well, I'm certainly not going to be the one to reconcile," muttered Sirius. "Oh hi, Harry!"

"Hello, Sirius," said Harry.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" asked Remus. "How about you, Padfoot?"

"Coffee for me, Moony," said Sirius. Harry agreed to tea.

When they were all sitting down and drinking it, Harry said, "Hey, Sirius, did you sleep well last night?"

"I slept wonderfully, Harry," Sirius answered. "And I actually took a shower. Do you know how long it's been since I showered? And it's the first time I've slept in a proper bed in ages."

"I'm sorry, Sirius," said Remus sadly. "I was so stupid to think you would ever betray James and Lily."

"Don't be sorry, Remus," said Sirius, his eyes looking haunted from Azkaban. There was a little bitterness in his voice. "The rest of the wizarding world believed it, so why shouldn't you?"

Harry looked uncomfortable; the subject was getting a little heavy. Sirius and Remus noticed this, and decided to talk about it later.

"So," said Harry, "Professor Lupin tells me he'll be living with us, too!"

"Yes, he will," said Sirius, a smile breaking through. "It'll be like old times, won't it Moony?"

"If you think I'll put up with pranks from you, Padfoot, then you're wrong," Remus laughed.

"Oh yeah?" Sirius taunted, grinning.

"Yeah!" Remus answered. "And Harry, there's no need to call me "Professor Lupin" anymore. I'm no longer your professor, so please just call me Remus."

Harry smiled. "Okay, Remus," he said.

Harry and the two Marauders spent the next few hours talking about all kinds of things. Harry shared his experiences of the past few years; things like the Philosopher's Stone and the Chamber of Secrets. Both men were amazed.

"What is Dumbledore thinking, letting my godson go into danger like that?" Sirius said a little angrily. "You're only a boy! You could have been seriously hurt or even killed!"

"I know," said Harry, "but don't worry. I made it through all right. It sure was interesting."

"I bet," Sirius scowled. "I think I'll go have a little chat with the Headmaster."

"No, don't!" Harry pleaded. "It wasn't his fault, it was the three of us who got involved. Last year Hermione was petrified towards the end of the year, so it was left to Ron and I to try to figure things out. And we couldn't just let Ginny die in the chamber."

"You're so much like your father, Harry," Remus said fondly, nostalgia in his eyes. "He would never let things just happen on their own if he knew someone was in danger."

"You have your mother's spirit too," said Sirius. "I was seriously going to kill that little rat last night until you stopped me."

"Well, as I said," answered Harry, "I don't think Mum and Dad would have wanted their friend to become a killer, even if you were killing a bad person."

xxx

As Harry was making his way back to his dorm after eating dinner with the two Marauders, there was nobody in the halls except for one person. Going in the opposite direction was none other than Cedric Diggory. Harry was going on autopilot, so he almost bumped right smack into him.

"Hi, Harry!" Cedric said. "What's up?"

"Not much, Cedric," said Harry. "How about you?"

"Oh, nothing. I heard about last night. Isn't it amazing? Sirius Black innocent and all? I heard you're going to live with him also."

"Yes, I am. I'm really looking forward to it."

"Yeah, that should be interesting. I just have to say this to you, Harry, I'm still really sorry about the match. I tried to get Madame Hooch to do a rematch, but she wouldn't have any of it."

"Don't worry about it, Cedric. It's just a game, and you won fair and square. The rest of the team will just have to see that."

"Yeah," Cedric grinned wryly. "I've noticed they're holding a bit of a grudge, but I'm not taking it personally. Quidditch is a very competitive game."

"Yeah, it is."

"Harry," Cedric said earnestly, "I think you're a very nice person. I would like to extend to you the hand of friendship."

Harry was very flattered by this; he'd never heard someone speak so formally to him before. "Thank you," he said, his face turning red. "I accept."

"Good," Cedric said. "Why so embarrassed, Harry?"

"Uh ... never heard it said like that before," said Harry.

"Oh," said Cedric, smiling. "I guess it's my dad rubbing off on me. Anyway, I wondered if you'd like to hang out sometime, maybe meet with some of my mates. I know there're a lot of people out there that like you just for your scar, but when I played against you this year, I got to thinking about the person you really are. I can tell that you don't like all the attention."

"No, I really don't," Harry said, cheeks flushing again.

"I also needed to say that I never once suspected you were attacking students last year," Cedric said. "How could a second year be doing such a thing? And you seemed too nice to suddenly attack people."

"Uh, thanks," Harry said.

"Okay, I gotta go," said Cedric. "See you around, maybe?"

"Yeah," answered Harry. "See ya, Cedric."

xxx

When Harry arrived in the Gryffindor common room, he told Ron and Hermione about his conversation with Cedric.

"He's such a duffer," said Ron immediately. "Acting all formal like that. He doesn't have any brains."

"Ronald!" exclaimed Hermione, scandalized.

"He's not a duffer," said Harry defensively. "He told me we could be friends. I don't think he's stupid at all."

"Well, I'm glad you made another friend," said Hermione, a smile on her face. Ron grunted in acknowledgement, making her frown at him.

xxx

The week passed quickly after that. As the days went by, Harry spent more and more time talking to Sirius and Remus. They started telling him stories about the Marauders in their days at Hogwarts. There had been a time, they said, when Peter Pettigrew had been a decent person, just a boy growing up in the wizarding world. They liked to remember the good times, and Harry loved hearing more about them. Aunt Petunia told him nothing of his parents, and it was nice to finally hear someone say that James Potter was not an unemployed, lazy layabout.

The leaving feast passed in a happy blur, with Hermione going on at Ron because he heaped so much food onto his plate and then stuffed his face full of it. "Ronald!" she chastised when he talked with his mouth full. "Remember your manners!"

"You're no' my mu'er, ermione," Ron mumbled. He was trying to say "you're not my mother, Hermione." Hermione gave him a "don't-be-so-darn-rude" look.

By that night, they all had their trunks packed and were ready to leave by the Hogwarts Express in the morning. Harry woke up the next day feeling better than he had the last two years on the day of leaving, because he knew he'd only have to put up with Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and Dudley for one more week. Then he'd be going to live with Sirius and Remus.

As they got onto the Hogwarts Express, they waved goodbye to Hagrid, who was standing at the station. Harry had already said his goodbyes to Sirius and Remus. Even though Remus had resigned, he'd stayed at the school with Sirius until term ended. He didn't show his face in the Great Hall after the morning everyone had found out about his lycanthropy, however.

"Bye, all of yeh!" boomed Hagrid. "See yeh next year!"

"See you, Hagrid," said Harry. He noticed that Hagrid's spirits seemed to be a little better since Buckbeak's death. He was glad that the gentle man had a smile on his face. He could still see some sadness in his eyes, though; he had really been attached to that hippogriff, and Harry couldn't even imagine how much Hagrid hated looking into the smug face of Draco Malfoy every Care of Magical Creatures lesson.

The train pulled out of the station, and the trio talked, read, and played Exploding Snap all the way home. Ron also beat the other two horribly in wizard's chess. He played Hermione one round, and Harry the other, since he was the chess master. Hermione then buried her nose in a book, and read the rest of the ride.

Dumbledore had informed Harry that he had let Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon know that Harry would only be staying a week in their home this summer, and after that, he'd never be back. The Dursleys had never hurt him terribly, just neglected him, but little did he know what they had in store for him when he came back this summer.

When they arrived at Platform Nine and Three-quarters, they got their trunks off the train, and Harry got Hedwig's cage. "Maybe you could get an owl now," Harry said to Ron. "After all, you don't have a rat anymore."

"That's true," said Ron. "You know, it was all over the Prophet, about Sirius and Pettigrew. That's why everyone knew about it the next day."

"Yeah, I saw the article," interjected Hermione. "That woman Rita Skeeter wrote it; she's disgusting. She's still saying bad things about Sirius even though he's innocent. Unfortunately, most of the wizarding world agrees with her because they like her writing."

"Well, Cedric didn't," said Harry. "He seems sensible about it."

"Well, at least Diggory's got something right," said Ron.

"Would you please stop harping on about that, Ron!" exclaimed Hermione sternly. "He's not stupid! Just because he's in Hufflepuff and he won a Quidditch match against Gryffindor doesn't mean he's dumb!"

"All right, all right, whatever you say, mione," sighed Ron. Hermione held Crookshanks in her arms, petting him. "I'm sorry about the whole Scabbers thing," Ron then said. "Crookshanks was right all along."

Hermione looked at him with a forgiving smile. "I'll forgive you this time, Ronald," she said jokingly.

They saw Mr. and Mrs. Weasley waiting for their family, and everyone exchanged greetings when they crossed the barrier. Harry saw his Uncle Vernon, a sneer plastered onto the fat man's face. The horsey-faced Aunt Petunia was also there, along with Dudley.

"Let's go, boy," snapped Uncle Vernon. "We've waited for you long enough."

"All right, I'm coming," Harry sighed. "Bye Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Percy, Fred, and George."

"Bye, Harry!" everyone chorused.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't," said Fred.

"Which means do anything!" said George.

"Oh, you two," Mrs. Weasley said. "Can't you ever be serious?"

"Nope," said Fred.

"We live to joke," said George.

"See you soon, Harry," said Hermione, hugging him. "We'll keep in touch. Send an owl when you're with Sirius and Remus, okay?"

"I will," promised Harry.

"See you later, mate," Ron said, pounding him on the back.

"See you, Ron."

"LET'S GO!" snarled Uncle Vernon, and not wanting to annoy the man any further, Harry followed him out of the station. Before he knew it, the Dursleys and Harry were in the car driving to 4 Privet Drive.

Harry had no idea what he would face in the next week. He didn't know that this would be the worst week of his life, that his emotional state would change completely. He didn't know what trick Vernon Dursley had up his sleeve, but it would change him forever. He'd never be the same Harry Potter again.

As they pulled into the driveway, Harry got out of the car and followed his aunt and uncle into the house. "Go to your room," Vernon said angrily, and Harry did. "Just you wait," Vernon taunted. "During the next week, I'm going to teach you a lesson you'll never forget."

Harry just shrugged, but he had no idea how right his uncle was. Throughout the rest of his life, he would never forget.


	3. Hell on Earth

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! I am so glad you all are loving the story!

This is a note to all my old readers. I am changing this story around a bit because I have come to the conclusion that I can no longer write about what Uncle Vernon did to Harry on my first go-round. It was too violent, too vile, too horrible. I can't say that what I will write this time will be much better, but what I had Vernon do to Harry last time, I simply cannot repeat. I'm sorry if this disappoints any of my old readers, but I hope you still enjoy the story.

Warning: This chapter contains descriptions of different kinds of abuse. If you don't like reading that, just skip past it.

Chapter 3: Hell on Earth

Harry woke up the next morning, a bad feeling churning in his gut. He stared out the window, knowing that Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia would be calling him downstairs any minute now to ask him to cook breakfast for "sweet little Duddykins." Sure enough, Uncle Vernon barked, "Boy! Get down here NOW!"

Harry sighed and made his way downstairs. He got out things to cook with, and made eggs, bacon, and pancakes not only for Dudley, but for the adults as well. He served a small helping to himself, but Uncle Vernon said: "You're not eating anything today, boy. Do you know what your freakishness has done? Did you know I was let go from my drilling company, you worthless scum? You caused it, didn't you?"

"No!" Harry said, shocked. "I'm sorry you were let go, but it wasn't me ..."

"Shut your mouth, boy!" screamed Uncle Vernon.

"You are the most ungrateful ingrate I've ever known," said Aunt Petunia. "My husband is now unemployed because of you. And we also know that in a week's time you are going to live with that freak Sirius Black, the same man who was on the news last year! Innocent? I don't think so! He looked mad!"

"Please, Aunt Petunia," said Harry timidly, "he is innocent."

"THAT's ENOUGH!" bellowed Uncle Vernon. "Don't you dare speak to your aunt like that! Get in the cupboard, NOW!"

Harry didn't move. The cupboard? Oh, no! he thought. He wondered why he was being made to go to the cupboard. Ever since he'd received his Hogwarts letter, he'd been given Dudley's second bedroom because his relatives were scared of what the wizards would do to them. But Harry thought it was probable that now, since he was only staying for one more week, he was being told to go back where he used to live.

"Your uncle told you to do something," Aunt Petunia said, "and you're supposed to obey him! Go to the cupboard, NOW!"

Without another word, Harry did as he was told. He got out of his chair, left his meager serving of breakfast for someone else to eat, and went to the cupboard, closing the door behind him.

He had nothing to do for the rest of the morning. All he could think about was what it would be like to live with Sirius and Remus. He thought of the picture album of his parents under the loose floorboard in his room. He remembered their faces, laughing and smiling as they had their arms around each other. He remembered how handsome Sirius had been, and how Peter had hung around in the background.

He thought of Ron and Hermione, probably having fun in their houses. He couldn't help the jealousy he felt. Don't worry, one more week and you'll be out of here, he kept thinking to himself.

He thought of Pettigrew, and what a horrible person he was now. He remembered Cornelius Fudge saying, "The Dark Lord is dead, Pettigrew." Later, Ron had asked why Fudge had called Voldemort the Dark Lord, since that was the name given to him only by his supporters, who were called Death Eaters. Harry and Hermione had answered that he probably called him the Dark Lord because he was imitating Pettigrew. After all, he'd said it in a mocking tone. They'd been sure that Fudge was no Death Eater.

At lunchtime, Harry was called out of the cupboard to make lunch, and then at dinnertime to make dinner. Between times, he was just stuck in the cupboard, watching spiders crawl around the area. He wished he at least had a book to read, or his photo album to look at. He started thinking nasty thoughts, thoughts that he should have let Sirius kill Peter for depriving him of loving parents. But a bigger part of him said that two wrongs didn't make a right, that Sirius would have probably been sent back to Azkaban and he'd be stuck with the Dursleys until he was seventeen, the age of adulthood in the wizarding world.

The next day passed in much the same way. But things got much, much worse that night.

Uncle Vernon had gone out to a bar to drink away his sorrows of being unemployed. Aunt Petunia and Dudley had gone out to dinner, and they were still out when Vernon came home. He was drunk, and the first place he went to was the cupboard. "Hello, freak," he said mockingly as he opened the door. "Having fun in there?" He then pulled Harry up by the hair, since he was lying down. He then made him stand in front of him, and then Vernon proceeded to start hitting him and punching him.

Harry couldn't believe what was happening. His uncle had never gone this far before. Sure, he'd had to put up with being called a "freak" for years. Sometimes he wondered if he really was one. Bad things always happened around him, what with Voldemort always wanting his hide. Ginny almost died because of him, Professor Quirrell had died because of him, his parents had died for him. How many other people would die just because of one thirteen-year-old boy?

"worthless scum!" Vernon snarled with each punch. "You are a freak! You should have never been born! I'm glad your rotten parents snuffed it, you bastard! How dare your freakishness get me unemployed!"

"Please stop, Uncle Vernon!" Harry gasped. "Please!"

"Shut your filthy mouth, you little sonuvabitch," Vernon sneered. "You deserve all of this, you know you do."

Was Uncle Vernon right? Harry wondered. Was this his punishment for almost getting people killed?

After it was over, he had a few bruises on him, but he knew that with his magic, they would probably heal within the next day or two.

xxx

The next few days got progressively worse and worse. Uncle Vernon began to do more and more damage. He started to call him even more names, and threatened him that if he told any one of those freaks about what was happening in the house, then he'd be killed. Harry lay on his small, dingy cot every night, tears running down his face. He wished for Sirius, Remus, even Snape, anyone to take him away from all this.

Things came to a head, though, on Harry's last night there. He was sitting miserably in his cupboard when Vernon, drunk and in a towering rage, dragged him out by his hair. The punches and the kicks were harder this time, and Harry's screams reverberated throughout the house.

He didn't think that things could get any worse than this, but he was dead wrong when Uncle Vernon left the living room, where he had tossed Harry after he'd had his fill of punching him. A few minutes later, he came back, holding something in his hand.

Harry's mouth opened in horror when he saw what it was: it was Hedwig, his precious owl, the first thing he'd received when he was introduced to the magical world by Hagrid.

"Give her back to me!" he cried, his voice shaking.

"I don't think so," snarled Uncle Vernon, putting his beefy hands around the owl's neck and squeezing tight. Tears came to Harry's emerald eyes and fell down his face as Hedwig emitted several awful screeching sounds. After what seemed like an eternity, she went terribly limp and still.

She was dead.

xxx

Sirius Black had a bad feeling. A very, very bad feeling. Dumbledore and he had finally got all the papers signed by them and the Ministry, so he was going to pick up Harry a day early. He figured that Harry would like to leave the Dursleys sooner rather than later. Remus had already moved in the nice little apartment they'd rented until they found a house.

But Sirius's gut was telling him that something bad was happening to Harry. He and Remus were just making their way to 4 Privet Drive now; they'd already apparated onto the street. Sirius had heard about Lily's Muggle sister and her whale of a husband before; Lily had told him that they hated all things magical.

"Harry'll be okay, Sirius," comforted Remus. "Don't worry so much."

"I hope he is," Sirius said. "Or I'll teach those Dursleys something they'll never forget."

"But you've got to stay calm, Sirius. Don't go over the edge. The last thing you want to do is get yourself landed back ..."

"Yeah, yeah, Remus, back in Azkaban, I know, I know."

So far, Sirius had not really talked about Azkaban with Remus; the subject was too painful. They kept putting it off, promising themselves that they'd talk about it later. They'd both silently agreed to not talk about it in front of Harry, though.

As they reached the front door of the house, Sirius and Remus went cold as they heard screaming from inside. They knew whose screams it was. "Please, please, Uncle Vernon, stop!" Harry was shouting. They then heard a mocking voice mimicking his words and then evil, fanatical laughter.

"Alohamora!" Sirius shouted, not wasting any more time. His spell was so forceful that the door flew off the hinges and landed on the floor. Not caring one bit, he ran into the house, Remus following closely behind him.

What they saw made their blood run cold. Harry was screaming, crying hysterically, with cuts and bruises all over his body. Vernon Dursley dangled an obviously dead owl in front of his nose, laughing mockingly.

Sirius snarled out a spell. The man went flying into the air and landed twenty feet away.

"What've you done to my godson?" bellowed Sirius. "How fucking dare you do such a thing, you fat bastard!" He lunged at the man, punching him for all he was worth. Remus just stood there, not even trying to make Sirius stop. He was so shocked at what he had seen, and his usually calm exterior gave way to such anger that he had never known before.

"The freak deserved all of it," Vernon snarled. "He got me unemployed, the ungrateful little ..."

"Shut the hell up!" the uncharacteristic voice of Remus Lupin shouted. Sirius raised his wand, muttering another spell which made boils spring up all over Vernon. Vernon screamed, and Sirius started to laugh, the same laugh he'd laughed the day Peter Pettigrew had exploded the street. The laugh chilled Remus to the bone. Sirius had lost himself; he seemed to be in his own world now. The werewolf went over to him and rapped him on the shoulder. "Sirius! Sirius!"

Sirius stopped laughing and turned to Remus. "Moony, help me!" he cried. "Help me curse the hell out of this waste of a human being!"

"As much as I want to," Remus snarled, angrily turning to Vernon, "it's against the law. And we're here for Harry now. We have to get to him."

Immediately, Sirius ran over to where Harry was. He was rocking back and forth, sobbing. "Harry? Harry?" Remus said gently, picking him up. He was so light; it seemed as though he'd lost some weight. "Harry, it's us. You're getting out of here. We're taking you away."

Harry tried to fight Remus, shouting, "No, no, no! Not again, not again! I don't want to be hurt anymore ... Hedwig, oh, God, Hedwig ..."

Sirius grabbed Harry's hand and tried to mutter soothing words to him. "Harry, it's Sirius and Remus. We're not going to hurt you. We're here to help." Finally, Harry began to calm down. He relaxed in Remus's arms, but the tears still came thick and fast down his cheeks.

Sirius turned back to Vernon. "I hope you die a slow, painful death," he bellowed, his face as red as a tomato. "I hope you burn in hell for what you've done." He sent another spell at the man, knocking him to the floor. He then kicked him viciously in the ribs, causing Vernon to moan. "Shut up!" he jeered at him, and then, following Remus, walked out the door, Sirius holding Hedwig in his arms.

xxx

Remus then apparated him and Harry to the little apartment, Sirius following suit. Harry was still crying, and muttering words like, "I'm sorry Hedwig, I'm sorry Hedwig, I'm a freak ... I'm a freak ..."

This broke Sirius and Remus's hearts. How long had this abuse been going on? Harry was bleeding from all kinds of bruises, and the two men decided to call Madam Pomfrey. After they'd "gently laid Harry down in his new room, Remus offered to stay with him while Sirius made the necessary calls.

He first called Albus Dumbledore, angrily asking him to come to the house. He asked him to bring Poppy Pomfrey with him. Immediately sensing that this was urgent, Dumbledore at once agreed.

When they arrived, Sirius shooed Poppy into Harry's room. After this, it was just he and Dumbledore facing each other. He put a Silencing Charm on the room, and Dumbledore immediately knew that Sirius Black was going to yell and scream.

"What the devil did you think you were doing, Dumbledore!" Sirius bellowed angrily. "How could you send him to that hellhole? Did you know what that monster he calls an uncle was doing to him? HE KILLED HIS OWL! And he has bruises all over his body! "Oh, that was the best place for him,"" Sirius mocked, repeating the words Dumbledore had said when he was referring to the Dursleys. "Bullshit! Do you know he'll be scarred for life now because of this experience? It's a good thing Remus and I arrived when we did, because he could have been killed! But I already feel guilty enough that we hadn't arrived earlier, we could have saved him from this before the worst happened! And don't you dare say you're sorry, Dumbledore, that you didn't know! You knew all along that Lily's sister and brother-in-law hated all things magical! Did you know that when Harry arrived here, he was saying what a burden he thought he was, and what a freak he thought he was? You're going to have to repair this, you old fool! You're going to have to help him!"

Dumbledore's face was white, and his eyes had filled with tears. He'd never felt so worn-out, tired, and terrible. He couldn't have imagined in his wildest dreams that Harry was being hurt to that extent. He'd placed him with the Dursleys because they were the only living relatives he had left. He couldn't place him with Remus unless there was someone else living with them, because the laws said that since Remus was a werewolf, he couldn't take care of a child alone. Now he was looking at an angry, grief-stricken man who'd just come out of the bowels of the worst prison on Earth, a man who'd had to see his sweet, innocent godson being brutally handled by a monster.

"I won't say I'm sorry," Dumbledore sighed. "Those are just empty words. And you have every right to be furious with me, Sirius. But I truly didn't know what was going on. But I'll do everything I possibly can to try to make up for this. I'm going to call the Aurors, and get Vernon Dursley arrested." Tears fell into his beard. Sirius softened a little; he had never seen Albus Dumbledore lose his composure before. Even when they'd lost good people in the first war against Voldemort all those years ago, Dumbledore had always seemed to grieve in private.

There was still anger in Sirius's eyes, though, and he said, "Merlin hopes that you do, old man, because if you don't, I'll never speak to you again! And I don't care if the Ministry warns me about using magic on Harry's fat uncle, he deserved it!"

Dumbledore sighed. "I know, Sirius," he said softly. "I had guessed you used it on him. You will probably be fined for it. I am not going to reprimand you at this point, but I will tell you to refrain from using magic on Muggles again."

"I don't care how much they fine me," muttered Sirius. "I couldn't give a damn."

Dumbledore nodded. "I know. Now, then, Shall we go and check on Harry?"

"I don't want you going anywhere near him," snapped Sirius. "Come back another time. I'm sure you're the last person he wants to see right now."

"Very well," Dumbledore said miserably. He took a pinch of floo powder, said, "Hogwarts!" and disappeared in a burst of green flames.

Sirius quietly went into Harry's room, where Remus was still holding him in his arms. Poppy was just leaving as Sirius was entering. "I've healed all his bruises," she said, wiping tears from her eyes. What she had seen today caused her to feel more sadness and more anger than she ever had in her life.

"Thank you, Poppy," Sirius said. "We'll call you if we need you again."

Poppy left, and Sirius walked into the room. "Harry's exhausted," the werewolf said as he spotted Sirius. "He's just fallen asleep."

"I think we should stay with him tonight," Sirius said.

"Yes, I think we should," said Remus. "Sirius, what are we going to do?"

"Well, we should definitely press charges," Sirius said, growing angry again. "That monster deserves Azkaban. A Muggle who hates magic so much should be put in the worst magical place imaginable after committing such crimes."

Remus was usually a forgiving person, but when it came to his best friend's son and a boy he'd grown to love, he agreed wholeheartedly with the way Sirius handled things. "We should talk to Dumbledore in the morning," he said. "But I'm worried about Harry. If I know him, he won't want to because he'll be scared of what Vernon might do to him."

"But we have to tell him he needs to!" exclaimed Sirius.

"I know, Padfoot," Remus sighed. "But how are we going to tell him he'll need to talk at the trial? This has been so traumatic for him, how on Earth are we going to tell him he needs to relive it?"

"I don't know," said Sirius, head in his hands. "This is too much. What would James say if he were here? He'd have murdered the bastard, that's what he'd've done."

"Yeah, he would have," Remus said. "He wouldn't have cared if he'd gotten himself a cell in Azkaban. He'd have given him a slow, painful death. That's certainly what I wanted to do. The wolf in me was having a hard time keeping itself inside. He wanted to claw that monster to death."

The two men then sat in silence, watching Harry peacefully sleep. He looked so innocent in Remus's arms, so relaxed. No one could imagine the pain this poor boy had gone through. Sirius had grown up in a home which was unhappy, and his parents hadn't loved him, but he'd never been hurt or humiliated to that extreme. He'd run away at sixteen and then been given a loving second home with the Potters, and he'd been very lucky to get away. But Harry, oh Harry, Sirius thought, his heart constricting painfully at the sight of him. "Harry, we're going to get through this," he whispered to the sleeping thirteen-year-old boy. "Remus and I will show you all the love you deserve. You're a wonderful boy, and you're not a freak."

The two men didn't leave Harry for the rest of the night. They spoke in whispers, and once, when Harry started thrashing around in a horrible nightmare, they did their best to calm him, and in the end, it worked. He fell back into a peaceful slumber, and Sirius and Remus both sent prayers to Merlin that the boy would be all right. No matter what, they'd get through this together.


	4. Tender Loving Care

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thank you to my reviewers! Keep the reviews coming, I love them! I'm so glad you're enjoying this story!

Chapter 4: Tender Loving Care

Sirius was having trouble keeping his eyes open. He'd stayed awake all night by Harry's side, and now it was dawn. Remus had already fallen asleep in a chair next to him, and he desperately wanted to stay awake in case Harry needed him. But eventually, sleep won out, and he fell into a dream.

It was a dream he'd had many, many times over the course of his stay in Azkaban. He was standing amongst the ruins of Godric's Hollow. His heart plummeted; he knew what was going to happen now, it was always the same. He walked through the rubble of the destroyed house until he found a body.

"Oh Gods," Sirius moaned as he knelt by his lifeless best friend, James Potter. He was still holding his wand in his hand and he had a terrified but fiercely determined look on his face. His eyes were wide open, staring up at the night sky. Sirius knew what was coming, but he prayed to Merlin that this time it would be different. He shook his best friend, shouting, "Prongs! Prongs! Oh Gods, Prongs, please wake up! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! It's my fault, it's all my fault! Oh Gods, I've killed you, Prongs. Oh Gods. I didn't know, I swear I didn't know! I didn't know it was Peter, please forgive me Prongs!"

But there was no response from his dearest friend. He continued to shake him, tears starting to stream down his face, begging his friend to wake up.

Then, as he knew it would, something happened that had not happened on October 31, 1981, but had happened in his nightmares in Azkaban every single time. James's eyes were still wide open and staring into nothingness, but his mouth began to move.

"Yes," he said. "You killed us, Padfoot. Lily and I. You killed us. It is your fault. How could I have trusted you to keep us safe? You delivered us straight into Voldemort's hands. How could you? We trusted you and you betrayed us. You're a traitor, Sirius."

"James, I'm sorry!" Sirius sobbed. "I swear I didn't know! Please, please forgive me!"

"Not this time, Sirius. You brought this on yourself."

Then he said something he'd never, to this day, said before.

"And you were so rash as to go after Peter," he said angrily. "And you landed yourself in Azkaban for twelve years, not being able to care for my son. And because of that, he was left in the care of those bastard Dursleys, who abused him and neglected him. And his uncle killed his owl, his first ever friend. You deserved to see that, Sirius, so you know what your rash actions caused. It's all your fault. I hate you. It's too late to take care of Harry now. You've destroyed him!"

Sirius felt weighed down with unbelievable, agonizing guilt. What the nightmare-James was saying was all true. He'd gone after Peter, got thrown into Azkaban, and was unable to look after his godson. Harry's suffering was all his fault. It could have been prevented if he hadn't been so damn rash.

"I'm sorry, James!" Sirius said for the thousandth time. "If I could take it all back, I would! I would have never gone after Peter if I knew what it would cost Harry."

"It's too late for that, Sirius," James said sadly. "I just want you to know that I should never have made you godfather. I'm very disappointed in you. How could I have thought you'd care for Harry if something happened to us? All you're after is revenge. You never think about the bigger picture."

"James, please!" Sirius howled, but the nightmare-James began to fade. "I never want to see you again," he said as he disappeared. "You betrayed me, and that is the worst thing you could possibly do to me." And with that, he was gone.

xxx

Sirius woke up in a cold sweat, with tears running down his face. Remus was awake next to him. "Sirius?" he said softly. "Sirius, what's the matter? Did you have a nightmare? Was it ... was it Azkaban?"

"J-J-James," Sirius choked. "He was blaming me ... blaming me ... for everything."

Remus got up and went to Sirius to embrace him. "Oh, Padfoot," he soothed. "You know that James wouldn't blame you. It's just your guilt and your imagination talking."

"I shouldn't have gone after Peter," Sirius said miserably. "It is all my fault. Harry would never have had to go through this if I'd actually thought about what I was doing instead of being so bent on revenge."

"I know, I know, but we're both here now," Remus said gently. "And we're both going to look after Harry. You'll see, he'll be okay. He's still sleeping peacefully, he was so tired. We're going to make him comfortable, we're going to shower him with love and we're going to treat him like a son should be treated."

The two friends continued to embrace, drawing strength and comfort from each other. Sirius eventually stopped shaking and sweating from the nightmare he'd had. His eyes still looked terribly haunted to Remus, though. The werewolf had a feeling they would look that way for a long time. Twelve years in Azkaban would do that to a person.

After a few hours of sitting in silence, Harry began to stir. The two men immediately started rubbing his back and stroking his hair, soothing him awake. Harry blinked his eyes open and looked at them. "Sirius? Remus?" he said quietly.

"We're here Harry," Sirius said. "You're safe now."

Harry looked desperately into their eyes, looking for truth. He could see nothing but love in them, love that he didn't think he deserved. He stretched, yawned, and sat up.

"Madame Pomfrey was here last night," Remus said. "She healed all your bruises, so you're okay now. Sirius and I are going to take care of you."

Harry looked so sad, and it caused the two Marauders' hearts to break in two. "I-I don't deserve looking after," the boy said softly. "I'm a freak and a burden. How could you want to love me?"

"Harry," said Sirius, tears coming to his eyes. He took the trembling boy into his arms. "Harry, you are not a freak, and you're not a burden. What happened was not your fault in any way, it was all Vernon Dursley's. Professor Dumbledore is making sure he's arrested."

Harry suddenly went stiff. "No!" he cried. "He said that if anyone knew about what happened, he'd kill me!"

"Oh, cub," Remus said. "We're going to make sure that doesn't happen."

"At least if it does, Voldemort'll be happy," Harry said. "Then he won't have to do it himself."

"Harry James Potter," Sirius said. "Please don't talk like that. I never want to hear you say anything like that again. You are not going to die. You mean the world to us, and we promise you we're going to protect you. I know the next little while is going to be very hard, and there will most likely be a trial for Vernon Dursley. But we're going to be there with you every step of the way. And we know you probably don't want one right now, but we'll gladly get you another owl whenever you're ready. We know that nothing can replace Hedwig, but we'll do whatever it takes to make you happy."

Harry suddenly lost all his strength, and he began to cry in Sirius and Remus's arms. They held him close, Sirius whispering soothing words and Remus stroking his hair. After he had calmed down, Remus asked gently, "Would you like some breakfast, Harry?"

"I'm not hungry," Harry answered meekly.

"Come on kiddo, you've got to eat something," Sirius said. "How about some cereal, or some toast?"

Harry looked uncertain. "I don't want to trouble you," he said.

"Oh, Harry, you're no trouble at all," Remus reassured. "It's been a while since I've had people staying with me. It's been so long since I've been able to cook or do things for anyone. Come on, let's go eat something."

Harry finally agreed, and got out of bed. Sirius and Remus had gone out shopping over the past few days, and bought some new clothes for Harry. When the boy saw them, he said, "Are these for me?"

"Yes, they are, cub," Remus smiled. "Try them on, they'll probably look great."

So harry tried on some jeans and a t-shirt. "You look wonderful, kiddo," Sirius said. "They're just your size, too!"

"Thank you so much," Harry said, his eyes filling with tears again, but this time, they were tears of joy. It was the first time in his life he'd ever been given anything without the words "you ungrateful freak" being attached to them. He hugged his two new guardians, thanking them profusely.

"No problem Harry," they both said, and they walked with him into the kitchen. "Wow, this is a nice kitchen," Harry said.

"Yeah, we like it too," Remus grinned. "We're going to be staying here for as long as we need to until we find a house. That's one of the things we're going to be doing this summer, house-hunting!"

"And you know what else?" Sirius said with a grin. "We got you tickets for the Quidditch World Cup in August! We don't know who's going to be playing against who, because all the pre-games aren't finished yet. But we've got really good seats! We talked to Arthur Weasley, and he says he and his children will be going too, so you'll have some friends there."

Harry looked shocked. "You didn't have to do that!" he exclaimed.

"We wanted to," Remus said, smiling gently at Harry. "We know how much you love Quidditch. And it's going to be one heck of a game! Professional Quidditch is much different than any Hogwarts match! Believe me, the games can get dirty, though. And if Bulgaria gets to the finals, you'll be seeing one of the finest players of all time, Viktor Krum!"

"What position does he play?" Harry asked curiously, his face lighting up.

"Seeker," Sirius grinned. "And he's only seventeen. He's brilliant!"

"Wow, cool!" Harry said. He still couldn't believe his guardians had bought him tickets. And he'd be seeing Ron there, and maybe even Hermione if the Weasleys got her a ticket.

Sirius and Remus got busy making toast, and soon, the three of them were sitting at the table, eating. The two Marauders were glad they had got Harry's mind off the horrible events of yesterday. They knew it would probably take Harry a long time to recover, but they would try and be lighthearted and make Harry's life as enjoyable as possible. They knew that if they were miserable all the time, it would surely rub off on Harry and make him think about the horrifying events more than he should.

After breakfast, they went to the living room and sat down. "Would you like us to tell you a story about your parents?" Sirius asked with a mischievous grin. His heart was still hurting from the nightmare he'd had about James, but he figured that if he could talk to Harry about a good time they'd all had together, it'd help clear his mind as well.

"Sure," said Harry. "What were some of the pranks you guys pulled in school?"

"Ah," said Remus. "Fond memories indeed. Padfoot, remember the time when the four of us Marauders snuck into the Slytherin common room and charmed their walls to say "Gryffindors rule, Slytherins drool?""

"Oh yeah," Sirius snickered. "They weren't happy about it, especially Snivellus."

"Who's Snivellus?" asked Harry. "Do you mean Snape?"

"Yeah," Sirius said. "As I told you in the Shrieking Shack, he was this skinny, greasy-haired kid who knew more hexes and curses in first year than any of the seventh years. He was always interested in what us Marauders were up to, always following us around all over the place. It got bloody annoying."

Harry longed to hear more. "So what else did you do?" he asked, his eyes alight with wonder.

"Well, Peeves liked us," Remus said. "We were pretty much the only students he didn't pick on. True, he called me "loony loopy Lupin" all the time, but I didn't take any offense. I thought it was pretty funny if you ask me."

"So Peeves helped us out a lot," Sirius said. "He was always helping us pull pranks on the other students. The teachers were sick of us by the time our seventh year ended, but we knew that deep down, they didn't want us to leave. They knew Hogwarts wouldn't be the same without the good old Marauders around."

Harry laughed. "What was your biggest prank?"

"We know Peter mentioned it in the Shack," said Remus, "but we never thought it would have such a big impact on him. At the time, we thought it was the funniest thing ever. This was the prank when all four of us took Polyjuice Potion and pretended to be each other at the end of our sixth year. And you know our nicknames, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs? We mixed them all around so that the first syllable would be the real nickname, and the second syllable would be the nickname of who we were pretending to be. For example, when I was pretending to be Sirius, the others called me Moonfoot, half Moony and half Padfoot. The other students didn't know what was going on."

"Yeah, you should have seen the looks on their faces," Sirius chortled. "The teachers didn't know what to do. They couldn't prove that anything was amiss because it wasn't like two of us were going around looking the same or anything. And we always dashed to the bathroom when we knew the potion was going to wear off."

Harry smiled and laughed with them. "What did my mum think of all this?"

"Well, your mother," Sirius said, "didn't like us at all at first. She thought we were arrogant little berks, which I have to admit, we were. In our fifth year, goody-goody Moony here became a prefect."

"Oh, you call me goody-goody, do you?" Remus said mock angrily. "I couldn't even control you and Prongs when you were at your worst! I didn't know how to tell you to stop pulling pranks."

"Yeah, so Lily couldn't stand us," Sirius laughed. "And she especially hated James. What was it she called him that one time, Moony? An "arrogant, bullying toerag?""

"Yeah, that's it," said Remus.

"So how did they end up getting married?" Harry asked.

"Well, your father finally got his head on straight," said Sirius. "He realized that asking Lily to go out with him every single minute of every single day was not working. See, he was head-over-heels in love with her from the word go. But she wouldn't go out with him until he deflated his head a bit."

"Finally, in our seventh year," Remus took over, "Lily told him he could have one date. Just one. Just one, and nothing more. But that "one date" totally changed her mind. When James finally got his ego under control, Lily grew to love him. They married straight out of Hogwarts."

"Wow," Harry exclaimed.

"Yeah, we were stupid when we were younger," Sirius said. "But we were carefree, and thought nothing could go wrong. On full moon nights we'd go romping around the forest, having the time of our lives."

"So how did you come up with the name Marauders?" Harry asked them.

"Well," Remus grinned, "it was Filch who got us to come up with it. We were caught pulling a prank on him once, and we heard him muttering under his breath, "I can't stand you four, always marauding around all over the place." So the name just stuck. I never thought I'd thank Argus Filch for something, but that's definitely something I'm grateful to him for."

Harry was grinning like a Cheshire cat by now. "If you're wondering how I got the map," he said, "it was from Fred and George."

"Oh, those Weasley twins," Remus smiled. "They remind me a lot of us in our glory days. Fred and George knew how to work the map because of their older brother, Bill. See, we met Bill once. He was explaining to us about how his younger twin brothers played a prank on him. So your father felt it was dutiful to explain about a secret map hidden in Filch's office, and he told Bill to tell his prankster brothers how to work it."

"Oh!" Harry said, understanding dawning on him. "I always wondered how they knew how to work it!"

"Yeah, that's how they knew," said Sirius with a big grin.

The two friends continued to share stories of Harry's parents with him, and he was grateful for every one. His eyes were filled with longing as he thought about the parents he didn't remember. But he knew now that he was safe, that he was with his parents' two best friends, and that they'd help him through the tough times to come. He still wasn't sure that he deserved all this compassion, and it would take him a while to believe it. But he somehow knew that his two guardians were being sincere.

They continued to talk until lunchtime, and after lunch, Sirius said, "How would you like to play some Quidditch? I used to be a Beater on the Gryffindor house team!"

"I never played at school," said Remus, "but I can try."

"Oh, wow!" said Harry. "I'd love to!"

So they played Quidditch well into the afternoon, flying loops around the garden. Remus and Sirius took turns at being Seeker, telling Harry to try to beat them to the Snitch. He always did, as well. But the two men took it in good humor and congratulated him for his wonderful flying.

After this, Professor Dumbledore poked his head into the fire and asked how Harry was doing. Harry felt uncomfortable talking to the old wizard, not because he was angry with him, but because he knew Dumbledore knew what had happened last night. But his guardians were there with him, and he faced it with them by his side. Dumbledore was very understanding and insisted, like Sirius and Remus had, that what had happened was not his fault at all. He told them that Vernon Dursley was locked securely in a Ministry holding cell. Harry was very relieved but a little scared to hear this because of the threat the man had made. But Dumbledore reassured him that he was locked away by magical means, so there was no way he could get out.

Dinner came a little after this, and then the three of them played a game of Exploding Snap. Harry began to tire during the game, so he decided to go to bed. He insisted that he could sleep fine by himself, but his two guardians were worried about him having a nightmare. They told him to promise to wake them up if he did. The boy looked reluctant, but he finally agreed. Remus also put a charm on the room to let him know if he was having a nightmare, because he knew Harry probably would feel bad about waking them up and might not bother.

The apartment had two bedrooms, so Sirius and Remus stayed in one of them together. As they climbed into their separate beds, they discussed the day.

"So how do you think Harry is, Padfoot?" Remus asked as they each lay down.

"He's got a long healing process to go through," answered Sirius, "but I know he can make it. If we can show him that he's not a burden and he deserves love, I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Merlin, I hope so," Remus sighed. "He's a wonderful boy. James and Lily would be ever so proud of him."

"Yes, they would," said Sirius fondly. After a few moments of silence, he said, "Good night, Moony. See you in the morning."

"Good night, Padfoot," Remus answered. Within minutes, they were both asleep.


	5. The Comfort of Friends

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thank you soooooo much for all of your wonderful reviews. You don't know how your kind words mean to me and inspire me to write! And yes, I definitely plan to finish this story. Please keep the reviews coming!

Chapter 5: The Comfort of Friends

The next few days passed quite pleasantly. Harry did have a few nightmares, but he had Sirius and Remus's comfort to help him get through them. They were often nightmares of his uncle and the terrible abuse he had inflicted on him. Occasionally he dreamed of Voldemort murdering everyone he loved, and this really got to him as well. Sirius and Remus tried to reassure him that Voldemort was not back in power now, that they would stay safe, that they'd protect him from anything that was going to happen.

It was now five days after Harry had arrived in the little apartment, and Sirius and Remus asked him that morning, "Harry, would you like to have the Weasleys over today? Molly firecalled me last night and wondered if you wanted to have them over. Hermione's not with them yet, she's still with her parents. But she will be coming to the Quidditch World Cup. But today, Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny can come if you'd like."

Harry bit his lip. He felt nervous about facing his friends after what had happened. Would they notice a difference in him and ask awkward questions? How would he answer them if they did?

Seeming to sense his discomfort, Remus soothed, "It's okay Harry. You don't have to tell them anything you don't want to. If they start asking questions, just tell them you're not ready to open up about it yet. They'll understand; I can tell that they really like and respect you. Believe me, nothing that happened was your fault, so it won't in any way turn them off you."

Harry continued to think about it. "Okay," he said finally. "I'll have them over."

So Sirius made the appropriate firecall to Mrs. Weasley, and later that morning, she, Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny flooed in to what the three occupants now called Marauder Place.

"Hey, Harry!" said Fred when they arrived.

"It's so spiffing to see ya, mate!" said George.

"Hey, mate," said Ron, pounding him on the back.

"Hi Harry," said Ginny quietly.

"Hey guys," said Harry, not being able to resist smiling at his friends. "Good to see you too."

Molly, Sirius, and Remus sat down in the living room to have a talk while Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny went into Harry's room. "Wow, this room is cool!" Ron exclaimed. "Look at all the Quidditch posters on the walls! Did Sirius and Professor Lupin do that for you?"

"Yeah," smiled Harry. "But you don't need to call him Professor Lupin anymore, remember? He said you could call him Remus."

"It'll just take some getting used to," said Ron.

"Hey, mate," said George, "you won't believe how mad Mum's been at us the past couple of days."

"She almost didn't let us come today," said Fred.

"Why not?" asked Harry curiously.

"Well," said Fred, "my partner-in-crime and I here have been making joke supplies. Inventing, you know. We want to start a joke shop when we get out of Hogwarts."

"Yeah," said Ron. "So they made these things called Ton-Tongue Toffees."

"What do they do?" asked Harry, interested.

Fred and George started snickering. "Well, we gave one to Percy," Fred chortled. "And his tongue grew to the size of a python!"

Ron burst out laughing. "It was the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life," he gasped.

"Percy wasn't amused," said George in a voice that clearly showed how he couldn't understand that fact. "He's such a git. He won't talk to us now. Dad had to fix his tongue!"

"And Mum confiscated all the rest of the candies," grumbled Fred.

"Well, brother dearest, we'll just have to make some more, won't we?" said a laughing George.

"Why did Percy eat it at all?" said Harry. "Anything you two give him is suspicious."

"Hey, I take offense to that!" said Fred mock angrily.

"Yeah, me too!" echoed George.

"He ate it," said a quiet voice belonging to Ginny, "because he's a git."

"Right in one, little GinGin," the twins said together.

Harry felt comforted in his friends' presence. He knew these four would be there for him no matter what, and Fred and George's humor made him smile. The twins always had a joke to share when times got tough.

"So, are you looking forward to the World Cup?" Ginny asked Harry.

"Yeah," Harry answered. "Sirius and Remus told me about Viktor Krum."

"Yeah, he's bloody amazing," said Ron excitedly. "Best Seeker in the world. Not as good as you, though, mate," he said, blushing and grinning at Harry.

"Come off it," Harry smiled. "I'm no professional!"

The conversation turned to Quidditch after that. Fred and George talked about some of the amazing moves Viktor Krum could execute on a broomstick, and Ron chimed in. Ginny, however, only said a few things now and then. Harry wondered if it had anything to do with how she was always nervous around him.

"Hey, we've been talking about Quidditch, why don't we go play some?" suggested Fred.

"Yeah, good idea, brother mine. We brought our brooms with us," said George.

"Okay," said Harry. "It's a really nice day out today; hopefully Sirius, Remus, and Mrs. Weasley will let us."

"Mum had better let us," said Ron. "Just because she's mad at you two," he pointed at Fred and George, "doesn't mean she should take it out on all of us."

"Why is she angry with us anyway?" grunted George. "She knows Percy's the biggest prat in the world, she just doesn't admit it!"

The five friends went into the living room, and the three adults did give them the okay to go out and play Quidditch. So outside they went, and they had the time of their lives. They took turns playing the different positions. Ginny was an excellent Seeker, and even beat Harry to the Snitch once. He gave her a smile when she beat him, and she gave him a shy smile back.

After this, it was time for lunch. So the five friends plus the three adults all sat down in the kitchen. Sirius had conjured some extra chairs for the guests to sit in, and they enjoyed a sumptuous lunch of sandwiches, potato chips, and chocolate cookies.

"Mum, when are you going to forgive us?" whined George as they were eating.

"When you stop harassing your brother," Mrs. Weasley answered, giving the infamous twins a glare. "When you two start behaving yourselves, I'll think about it."

"Oh, lighten up, Mum," said Fred.

"You know you love us," said George.

Mrs. Weasley was trying to fight the grin that was slipping onto her face, but Fred and George caught it and started chuckling. The sound was infectious, and soon everyone was laughing.

"Hey, I told you those twins are just like us, Moony," said Sirius.

"Yep, so you did, Padfoot," grinned Remus.

"Hey, what did you say?" exclaimed Fred suddenly.

"Did you just call each other "Moony" and "Padfoot?"" George asked incredulously.

"We sure did," Sirius said.

"I don't believe it!" the twins chorused. "You're two of the Marauders!"

"Right in one!" Remus said. "Harry's dad was Prongs, and our ex-friend, who you probably heard about in the news, Peter, was Wormtail."

"So where did you come up with the nicknames?" Fred asked.

"Want to tell the story, Padfoot?" said Remus.

"Yeah, I'll tell it," said Sirius, and he launched into the tale of the three Marauders becoming Animagi to help Remus survive his transformations into a werewolf.

"Hey, I want to become an Animagus too!" said Fred, his whole face lighting up. "Is it hard?"

"Well, it took us three years, but it would have taken us a shorter time if we hadn't had to wait for Peter to catch up," said Sirius, trying not to let the anger show when he said Peter's name; this was not the time or place for it. "But once we got it, we romped around the Forbidden Forest at night and went on our merry way."

"That's against the law, you all could have been arrested!" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley, scandalized.

"Yeah, I know," said Sirius, "but we'd do anything to help our friend." He patted Remus on the shoulder. "Right, Moony?" Remus grinned at him in reply.

"Believe me," said Remus, "I was worried about the three of them getting into trouble. Sirius and Peter both had to pay a fine to the Ministry, because obviously, on the night Sirius was exonerated, he had to tell the whole story."

"Yeah, it's a good thing I didn't have to go back to prison," said Sirius, his eyes glazing over with memories for a moment. "But you know what? I'd go back to Azkaban a thousand times rather than not help my friend when he's in need."

Remus looked choked up over this. Never in his life did he ever think he'd have such good friends. He smiled gently at Sirius and said, "Thanks, mate."

"Anything for you, Moony," said Sirius.

Everyone continued to talk about Animagi and transformations, and what it was like. They learned that you didn't choose the animal, the animal chose you, similar to how the connection between a wizard or witch and their wand worked. "Wo, I want to try it," said George.

"Oh, no you don't," said Mrs. Weasley, glaring at the twins again. "You two are not breaking the law. If either of you are going to try it, I want you to wait until you can register."

"Fine, Mum, fine," scowled the twins. "We promise. But what's life without a little lawbreaking?"

"Life without Azkaban, that's what," said Mrs. Weasley. The twins just looked at her with identical grins on their faces.

"Life's never boring with us around," said Fred.

"My thoughts exactly," said George.

"You couldn't be more accurate," Mrs. Weasley muttered under her breath.

After lunch, the five friends went back to Harry's room. The twins started talking about their joke shop again, and the curiosity of Harry was peaked. "What are you going to call it?" he asked.

"Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," the two chimed together. "We want it to be in Diagon Alley," said Fred.

"Or Hogsmeade," said George.

"What kind of things are you going to make for it?"

"Well, they have an idea for something called a Skiving Snackbox," said Ginny. "Basically, it leaves you sick for an hour so you can't go to class."

"Wow," said Harry. "So could I take it if I don't want to go to Potions?"

"Yep," said the twins. They then chanted, "There's Fever Fudge, Puking Pastilles, Fainting Fancies, Nosebleed Nougat, Coughing Cobblers, and Boil Biscuits."

"Yeah, that's what they've come up with so far," said Ginny.

"We're also making Canary Creams," said George. "When you eat one, it'll turn you into a canary for a minute." A wide grin was plastered across his face.

"Yeah, and I've just thought of another one," said Fred, clapping his twin on the back. "Whaddya think of this, George? Memory Mints! They modify your memory for an hour so you can't remember anything of what you learned in the last day! You can drive the teachers batty!"

"Yeah, I love it, twinnikins," said George.

Ron and Harry grinned, but they noticed right away that one person in the room hadn't. It was Ginny. She'd gone as white as a ghost.

"Ginny, what's wrong?" exclaimed Fred, worried.

"Don't use Memory Charms on the candies!" cried Ginny unexpectedly. "Please, please don't use them!"

"Hey, Gin-Gin, what's this about?" said George, putting a hand on Ginny's shoulder. "We were only kidding around. I don't even know if we can make such a thing."

"It doesn't matter if you can or not!" Ginny yelled, shrugging off George's hand. "Never mention Memory Charms in front of me again!" And she ran out of the room.

Fred and George exchanged bewildered glances, and Harry took off running after Ginny. Ron made to go after them, but Fred said, "Leave it alone, Ron. I don't think she wants to see any family right now."

"Let me go to her!" said Ron, but Fred and George held him back. "No, little bro," said Fred. "I think she really needs Harry right now."

Ron was fiercely overprotective of his little sister, and kept trying to go to her, but the twins finally convinced him that she really needed Harry now. "After all," said Fred jokingly, trying to make light of the situation, "our little Gin-Gin needs to find a nice man to go out with one day. Maybe our Harry-lad can be the one."

"She's too young for that!" exclaimed Ron furiously.

"We were only joking, ickle Ronniekins," said George. "we know she's too young."

The three of them then sat in silence, wondering what on Earth was going on, wondering where Harry and Ginny had disappeared to.

xxx

Harry walked out the front door after Ginny. Sirius, Remus, and Mrs. Weasley were still quietly talking in the living room when they had disappeared. Harry thought about telling them where he'd gone, but figured that the twins and Ron would probably go and tell them. Harry knew Ginny shouldn't be alone right now. Whatever the twins had said, it caused her to have a bad reaction. Something about Memory Charms; it really confused Harry.

As he walked into the garden, he saw Ginny sitting on a bench, sobbing like her heart was breaking into a million pieces. He didn't know what to do; he wasn't very good at this comforting business. But since he'd been comforted by Sirius and Remus so much in the past few days, he hoped he could at least give something back to someone who was in need.

"Ginny?" he said softly, putting an arm around her. "Ginny, what's the matter?"

But Ginny couldn't speak, she was crying so hard. So Harry just hugged her, patting her on the back and reassuring her that whatever was wrong, everything would be all right.

When she could finally speak again, she said, "N-no, it won't. Nothing will e-ever be all right again. If only the t-twins and Ron knew what was really going on. N-none of my other b-brothers know either. Only M-Mum, Dad, and P-Professor Dumbledore do."

"What happened, Gin?" Harry asked quietly, dread creeping into him. The look in her eyes was haunted and so terribly sad. A girl this young shouldn't look like that. "What was it the twins said about Memory Charms that made you so upset?"

Ginny started crying again, and Harry really started to get worried. She was crying as much as he'd had that first night, the night he was rescued by Sirius and Remus from that terrible nightmare Dursley household.

"Ginny," he said gently, "has someone hurt you?"

Ginny didn't answer for a few seconds. But then a barely whispered "y-yes," answered his statement.

"Who was it? Who would hurt you so badly?" Harry asked. He suddenly felt a connection with this girl like he'd never felt with anyone before. If he was asking Ginny these questions, he thought it was only fair that he shared his pain with her too. It was the last thing he wanted to do, and he was uncomfortable talking about it to anyone, let alone someone he barely knew. But the pain in Ginny's eyes spurred him onward; he knew he had to tell her she wasn't alone.

"I was hurt this summer too," he said softly.

"How do you mean?" Ginny sniffled,

"My uncle," said Harry quietly. "He ... beat me up, and he ... he killed Hedwig."

"Oh, Harry!" Ginny cried, throwing her arms around him. "I'm so sorry, so, so sorry!" she sobbed.

"Ginny," Harry said earnestly, "who hurt you? I know it wasn't any of your family, none of them could ever make you so sad like this."

"N-no, it wasn't them," Ginny sniffed. "But the one who hurt me ... he ... he put Memory Charms on me afterwards, to make me forget that it happened. I've been seeing a Healer this past year, and she's been lifting the charms. I've been trying to act happy the whole time, but ..." Another sob caught in her throat.

Bile began to rise into Harry's throat as he suddenly had an idea of who she was referring to. Hadn't it seemd that after the whole thing had gone down at the end of second year, she'd seemed perfectly happy again? How could he not have seen that it was just a façade? Of course, thought Harry. Who was the one person who was so evil that he felt it was his right to control minds, to possess people, to make them act in ways they would never act? "Who was it?" he whispered.

His suspicions were confirmed when she looked straight into Harry's eyes and answered quietly, "Tom Riddle."


	6. A Painful Conversation

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thank you so much to everyone for the awesome reviews! It is true that in canon, possession seemed to erase the memories from Ginny's mind, but I am making it different in my fic. In this, Tom made Ginny perform memory charms on herself to erase the memories.

On another note, one of my reviewers told me that they preferred the original storyline. I am really sorry for changing it, but I find that I simply cannot endure writing it anymore. But I'll tell you what. I still have the original version, and if you really want it, I can send it to you. Just give me your email address and I'll be happy to do it. That goes for anyone else as well.

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 6: A Painful Conversation

Fred, George, and Ron went downstairs and told the three adults what had happened. "I just said something about Memory Charms and she just ran off!" said Fred.

Mrs. Weasley's face went pale. "Oh dear," she said, frowning deeply.

"What's going on?" said Ron angrily. He desperately wanted to protect his little sister.

"I'm afraid I can't say," said Mrs. Weasley. "If Ginny wants to tell you, she will."

"Oh come on, Mum! She's my sister!" Ron said furiously.

"I know, Ron, but it's her story to tell. I'm going to go check on her. You three stay here. No, Ron, you're not coming too!" she snapped as Ron made to get up. He sat back down, dejected.

Mrs. Weasley went outside and saw Ginny quietly talking with Harry, tears rolling down her cheeks. She was desperate to go to her, but had a feeling Ginny only wanted to talk to Harry now. They needed to bond over this experience, she could just tell. Her mother's instincts, though, told her to keep a lookout. So she stood a little way away from them, watching to see if Ginny needed her.

xxx

"Oh, no," said Harry, everything clicking into place. "Tom Riddle hurt you?"

"Y-yes, and I loved him!" Ginny sobbed.

"What do you mean?" said Harry.

"I was in love with him!" Ginny said brokenly. "When I found the diary in my cauldron, I started writing in it. Tom understood me like nobody else did. I should've been suspicious right from the start, but Tom swept away all my fears. I've always felt the odd one out in the family, being the only girl and everything. The twins always tease me and I know they mean it in good humor, but I just needed someone to talk to! I talk to Ron sometimes, but the first year he went to Hogwarts and I couldn't go, I felt so alone!"

"So what happened?" Harry prompted gently. This girl had a long story to tell, he could just feel it.

"Tom made me feel better," she sniffled. "He became my best friend. Sad, isn't it?" she gave a humorless laugh. "Sad that my best source of comfort was someone in a book. When I got to Hogwarts, we talked more and more. I was so painfully shy I hardly talked to my dorm mates at all. When I'd had a bad day, Tom listened. When I felt down, he cheered me up.

"Then, all of a sudden, this handsome boy started showing up in my dreams. We were in this unknown place, which I found out later was the Chamber of Secrets. He said he was Tom from the diary, and he wanted to meet me in person, so he wanted to communicate with me while I was asleep. I thought it was the most wonderful thing ever; I fantasized about going to sleep at night just to see him again.

"We were best friends at first, or I thought he was my friend. Then I started feeling things I'd never felt for any person before. It took me a while to realize it, but I-I was in love." Tears started to pour out of her eyes again. Harry held her for a moment, waiting patiently for her to go on.

"After that, he was the sweetest boy I ever knew. I know he was sixteen and I was eleven, but I was smitten. I knew not to tell anyone in the real world, because I knew they'd think I was crazy, falling in love with someone who wasn't really real. He told me he was in love with me too, that he'd kiss away all my tears and that he'd give me everything I ever needed. He was so romantic, and so loving. Every night I fell in love with him more. I never really liked the Chamber much, but he said there was nothing he could do about it; he was stuck there. So I was eventually okay with it. I never wanted to awaken from anything that involved him.

"Then, strange things started happening. What was weird was that I could never remember what exactly happened, but I woke up with what I thought was red paint all over my hands and feathers all over my clothes once. I started blacking out and not knowing why on Earth I'd done it. I was so scared, Harry, but Tom told me everything was okay. He looked after me and told me there was nothing to worry about. Oh, I felt so calm and comforted in his presence! I told him about the attacks and the students getting petrified, and I told him my fears that I was the one who'd done it. He promised me that it wasn't anything I did.

"Tom always seemed so depressed all the time. He showed me some of the memories he had of Hogwarts, and how no one understood him either, similar to my situation. He told me of his parentage, and we'd have long, deep, meaningful conversations. He was more human than I'd ever seen anyone be before. He always called me by my full name, as well. "Sweet Ginevra" was his endearing term for me. I'll never forget the night he told me he loved me."

"And then what?" Harry asked softly.

"Then, one day, we got into a fight. He was really depressed that day and started calling me all these nasty names. I'd just told him all about you, and what a hero I thought you were. He didn't react well at all. I remember him saying, "Well, if you want to be with Harry, get the hell away from me, then, you little whelp!" I immediately forced myself awake and the next day, I threw the diary in the girls' toilet. I was hoping he'd get out of my head if I did that. Another reason why I did it was because I was becoming more and more suspicious about the attacks. I was really starting to think it was me who was carrying them out.

"A few days later, I was missing him like crazy. I was so stupid, Harry, such a lovesick idiot! I wanted him back! I'd convinced myself again and again over those days that it couldn't possibly be me who was attacking people, and Tom couldn't possibly agree with such actions. So I went through your room, grabbed the diary, and took off.

"Everything was fine between Tom and I again. He was so sorry for hurting me verbally, and promised he'd never do it again. Things went on as normal, or as normal as Hogwarts ever was that year. Then, one day, Tom told me he wanted to see me. I was writing to him, and I found this very strange. It was during the day, and we usually met at night. Stupidly, I agreed, and I blacked out for a moment.

"When I woke up I was down in the Chamber. I remember now that he made me write a farewell message on the wall, and I struggled and cried. But at that time, he'd made me forget about it. Anyway, when I woke up in the chamber, he was looking especially handsome that evening, and we started kissing," she said, her cheeks flushing a tomato red. "Then he said, "I have to tell you something." "What is it, Tom?" I asked. He took my hand, looked right in my eyes and said, "I want to keep you down here with me forever, sweet Ginevra Molly Weasley." I told him I loved him but I needed to be with my family, and if we could keep doing what we'd been doing for months, I would be happy. "But I want you to stay with me!" he said, "and Tom Riddle always gets what he wants!"

"I tried to plead with him, tell him that I loved him but I just wasn't prepared to go that far with him. He got really angry and threw me onto the floor. Oh, Harry, it was horrible! He got right in my face and h-he told me e-everything. He t-told me how I'd b-been attacking everyone all y-year and that I was just a stupid little b-bitch for falling for him. He told me he was the Dark l-Lord and that he was g-going to kill you too, and k-kill my entire f-family. He said I was just a lovesick little bitch who d-didn't understand anything about anything. He told me that he didn't love me and never had, that this was the Ch-Chamber of Secrets, that after he got what he wanted from me I was going to die. Then he said that if I'd survived he'd have p-pitied the man who wanted to marry me!" she sobbed. "Then he banged my head against the floor, swearing at me the entire time. After it was over he threw me roughly against the wall and I started to feel really lightheaded and weird. He said I was a waste of time and I was just a stupid little girl. And then I blacked out. Merlin, I'm so stupid! I fell for You-Know-Who's younger self! How pathetic is that?" She buried her face in Harry's hair and sobbed for all she was worth.

Harry was shocked. He couldn't believe what a monster Tom Riddle was. He couldn't believe he'd done that to a sweet, innocent girl who loved with all her heart. Harry had always felt, at the Dursleys, that no one ever understood him either. "Ginny," he said gently, "you're not stupid and pathetic. I always felt alone too when I was living on Privet Drive. I would have given anything to have a friend like Tom. If he were a girl, I'd have probably fallen for it too." He rubbed her back as she continued to weep. "Gin, it's all right," he soothed. "Shhh, Ginny, it's all right now. I was the one who was stupid; I never paid any attention to you. I was just always hanging around with Ron and Hermione, never seeming to notice anyone else. But I promise that now, I'll be there for you, and I'll never let anyone hurt you again. They'll have to go through me to get to you. I promise you that."

Ginny started crying even harder, and Harry held her close. After a few minutes, her sobs slowed to hiccups, and she lifted her face. "Th-thank you, Harry," she said brokenheartedly. "I never blamed you for any of it, though. It wasn't your fault. You were with your own group of friends, and I could understand that."

"Well, I'm still sorry," Harry said quietly. "But is that okay with you? Would you like to be my friend?"

"Yes, I would," whispered Ginny. They embraced again, and then they saw Mrs. Weasley step out from the shadows.

"It's time to go home, Ginny," she said softly. "Ron, Fred, George, you, and I are going back to the Burrow. Harry, dear," she turned to him, "thank you for listening to my Ginny's story. If anyone can understand what she's gone through with that monster You-Know-Who, it's you."

"No problem, Mrs. Weasley," said Harry. The three of them walked back into the house. Harry then said goodbye to the Weasleys and promised to see them again at, if not before, the Quidditch World Cup.

Sirius and Remus then asked Harry if Ginny was okay, and Harry said she was much better. They told him that he didn't have to tell them what the two had talked about; friends were allowed to talk about things in private. The three spent the rest of the day sharing more stories and playing games together. When Harry went to bed that night, he was thinking of Ginny. He would never let her get hurt again, as he'd promised her. He hated to see anyone else's innocence taken away like his had been.

Within minutes of his head hitting the pillow, he was asleep.

xxx

He was in an old, old house. There was a man in the room, and he was facing something in a chair. Harry couldn't see what the man looked like, he had a mask over his face. He was kneeling before the figure in the chair.

"There is a little more in the bottle, my Lord, if you are still hungry," said a voice. Harry knew it came from the masked man.

"Later, Bartemius, my faithful one," said a high-pitched, cruel voice. Harry knew immediately who it was. Voldemort. "Move me closer to the fire," he demanded.

The man, Bartemius, obeyed without protest.

"Where is Nagini?" said Voldemort.

"I-I do not know, my Lord," said Bartemius nervously. "She is probably exploring the house."

"You will milk her before we retire, Bartemius," said Voldemort commandingly. "The journey has greatly exhausted me."

"How long are we going to stay here, my Lord?"

"About a week. It would be foolish to act before the Quidditch World Cup is over. The plan will proceed as normal if we continue to be vigilant."

"That is sensible, my Lord," said Bartemius.

"Of course it is, you fool," snarled Voldemort. "We don't want any meddlesome Ministry idiots getting wind of it, do we?"

"No, of course not, my Lord."

"Are you sure that Potter is definitely the boy you need?"

Voldemort's face grew furious. "Are you questioning me, Bartemius?" he said menacingly.

"N-No, of c-course not, my L-Lord," Bartemius stuttered.

"Good," said Voldemort. "It will be done with the help of Harry Potter. You can be sure of that. This won't be accomplished without the boy."

"Very well, my Lord."

"I have waited thirteen years for this," said Voldemort quietly. "Thirteen years to get my hands on the brat."

"I am aware of that, my Lord," said Bartemius. "I have relished in the task of nursing my Lord back to health, and I will do all you ask of me."

"Very good," Voldemort purred. "Very, very good."

"I must warn you though, my Lord," Bartemius said bravely, "that the disappearance of Bertha Jorkins won't go unnoticed for long."

"I very well know that, Bartemius," Voldemort sneered. "But they will think she just got lost. After all, she's known for being very forgetful, isn't she?"

"Y-Yes, my Lord," Bartemius said. "Very well."

"Fools will be sent out to find her," said Voldemort, "and they never will."

"Exactly, my Lord."

"You did me an honor by capturing her, Bartemius."

"Why thank you, my Lord."

"Ah, yes. I broke the memory charm placed on her by your fool of a father. It would be an insult to her MEMORY not to use the information I extracted from her."

"Indeed, Master."

"Be quiet now," Voldemort whispered. "I think I hear my faithful Nagini."

Sure enough, in slithered a huge snake. It was the biggest snake Harry had ever seen. It made goosebumps run up and down his spine. It started hissing to Voldemort in Parseltongue, and Harry found that he could understand it.

"A Muggle is listening right outside the door."

"Ah, a Muggle," sneered Voldemort. "Bartemius, open the door for our guest."

"Very well, Master," Bartemius said. Dread crept into Harry. The door opened, and in the doorway stood a terrified-looking old man. He was holding a walking stick and looked to be in about his seventies.

"Come in, please, Muggle," Voldemort said softly.

Frank staggered into the room. "I will call the police!" the man said. "Or I will tell my wife to call the police! You sound like you're talking about killing someone! You are a madman!"

"You will address me as Lord Voldemort, Muggle!" Voldemort snarled angrily.

"Well, MY LORD," said the man mockingly, "you don't have very nice manners, do you, calling me a Muggle?"

"ENOUGH!" Voldemort roared. "And you have no wife! Do not try and fool me!"

"Why don't you face me like a man, you monster!" Frank shouted.

"Ah, old fool," Voldemort purred, "I am not a man. I am much, much more than a man. But if you would like, I will turn around and face you. Bartemius, turn my chair around."

Without a word, Bartemius did as he was told.

Harry saw the man look at the thing in the chair and let out an earth-shattering scream. Voldemort pointed his wand at the man, saying, "Avada Kedavra!" A burst of green light shot out of the wand and hit the man directly in the chest. He fell to the ground and did not move again. His eyes were wide open, sightless, staring at nothing. Harry knew he was dead.

His scar then seared in pain, and he sat bolt upright in bed, with a scream.

Sirius and Remus came running into the room. "Harry, what happened?" said Remus. "We were about to fall asleep, and we heard you screaming."

"Are you okay, kiddo?" said Sirius. "Another nightmare?"

"V-Voldemort," stuttered Harry. "He was ... he was with a man called Bartemius ... and they were talking about some plan ... to get their hands on me. He killed an old man ... cast some spell ... and he just fell, dead, to the ground." Harry was shaking all over.

"Bartemius?" said Sirius. "Are you sure, Harry?"

"Yes, that's what the masked man was called," Harry said.

"Well, the only Bartemius I know is Barty Crouch, Sr. and there's no way he's a Death Eater. He's totally against the Dark Arts!"

"His son was into them, though," said Remus. "He was caught for being a Death Eater just after you went to Azkaban."

"I know," said Sirius. "He died there."

"He died in Azkaban?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. I saw the dementors bury him," said Sirius. "That's really strange. Do you remember anything else?"

"Well, he called Bartemius's father a fool," Harry said, racking his brains for anything else. The dream was starting to fade from him. "There's nothing else I can remember."

"We should talk to Albus in the morning, Padfoot," said Remus. "If Harry's somehow got a connection with Voldemort, we need to talk about it."

Harry felt a shiver go down his spine. A connection with Voldemort; that was the last thing he wanted. His two guardians saw the look on his face and tried to reassure him. "It may have just been your imagination running wild, kiddo," said Sirius soothingly.

"But it felt so real," muttered Harry.

"Don't think about it anymore for now, cub," said Remus gently. "Go back to sleep, and we'll talk more about this in the morning."

"Okay," Harry said, lying back down on his pillow. Sirius and Remus tucked him in, and this was the best feeling in the world; he'd never had anyone tuck him in before. They softly said good night and walked out of the room.

Harry didn't get back to sleep for a while. His mind was swimming with thoughts of Ginny, the man named Bartemius, the old man who was now dead, and Voldemort. But finally, his exhausted brain shut down, and sleep eventually claimed him.


	7. Mr Crouch's Secret

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thanks again to my reviewers! Keep 'em coming, please! I'm so glad you're enjoying to the story! For those of you who want the original version, it will be coming to you really soon!

Also, one of my reviewers didn't seem clear about what happened after Ginny blacked out in the Chamber of Secrets. To clarify, the same events happened in this as in the book. Harry went down to the Chamber and defeated Tom and the basilisk. I'm sorry if I didn't make that apparent.

Anyway, on with the next chappie!

Chapter 7: Mr. Crouch's Secret

"So tell me more about this Bartemius Crouch, then," said Harry as he, Sirius, and Remus sat down at the breakfast table the next morning.

"Which one, the father or the son?" asked Sirius.

"Both," said Harry.

"Well," said Sirius, "Barty Crouch Sr. was all set to be Minister ofMagic back when Voldemort first fell. Believe me, back when he was in power, Mr. Crouch was very high up in the Ministry. Used to be head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." His face suddenly darkened, and he looked as angry as he'd been that night facing Peter in the Shrieking Shack. "He also was the one who gave the order to send me to Azkaban-WITHOUT a trial!"

"You're joking," said Harry. "There wasn't even a trial?"

"Nope," said Sirius furiously. "But that was my fault as well. As Peter said, I played right into his hands, laughing like a madman on the street. I just couldn't control myself."

"It's all right, Sirius," said Remus, laying a hand on his shoulder. "It's over now."

Sirius took a few seconds to compose himself, and then continued.

"As I was saying, he was all set to be Minister of Magic, but then there was a huge scandal. His son was caught torturing some Aurors with a few other Death Eaters. I found out about this from issues of the Daily Prophet the guards gave me while I was in prison."

"What's an Auror?" asked Harry curiously.

"A dark wizard catcher," said Sirius. "They're kind of like those people the Muggles call ... erm ..."

"Policemen," said Remus.

"That's it," said Sirius.

"Who were the Aurors he was caught torturing?" asked Harry.

"They were spanking good ones," said Sirius. "Knew them back in the day. Frank and Alice Longbottom."

"Longbottom!" exclaimed Harry, looking shocked. "There's a boy in my year called Neville Longbottom. Lives with his grandmother."

"That'll be his parents, then," said Sirius.

"Wow," said Harry. "I never knew."

"I'd not say anything to Neville about it, though," cautioned Remus. "If he didn't tell you himself, he might not want you to know."

"I won't say anything," Harry promised. "Did the Longbottoms die?"

"No," said Sirius, "much, much worse. They were tortured to insanity by a horrible curse called the Cruciatus Curse. It's considered illegal in the wizarding world. Anyone who casts it on another human being immediately gets a life sentence in Azkaban. It's one of the three Unforgivable Curses. The Longbottoms are in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, in the permanent spell damage ward."

"How horrible!" Harry said, growing more and more shocked. "Who were the other Death Eaters Crouch Jr. was caught with?"

"Oh," said Sirius, growing angry again. "Bellatrix," he spat. "Bellatrix Lestrange, my deranged cousin. And her husband, Rodolphus, and his brother, Rabastaan." His hands were balled into fists as he spoke of them. "They're all in Azkaban now."

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Harry. He realized that this was a very touchy subject with Sirius, so decided not to ask any more questions about the Lestranges until Sirius was willing to talk about them. "So tell me more about Mr. Crouch Sr., then."

"Well," continued Sirius, "When his son was caught with those Death Eaters, he was beside himself with fury; he hardly even gave his son a trial. It was a joke of a thing; his son and his cohorts were immediately sent to Azkaban, and Mr. Crouch's name was ruined. Believe me, when he was head of Law Enforcement, he was very strict. When Voldemort was in power, he said that other Aurors could use the three Unforgivable Curses on Death Eaters when they were caught."

"But that's stooping down to their level!" said Harry.

"I know," said Remus, "but in times of war, some people feel that those measures have to be taken."

"What are the other two Unforgivables?" asked Harry.

"Another one is the Imperius Curse," explained Remus. "This curse allows you to completely control another wizard. When Voldemort fell, many wizards caught as Death Eaters claimed to be under the Imperius Curse. Lucius Malfoy was one of them."

"Malfoy," Harry spat. "He's rotten to the core. He wasn't under any Imperius Curse."

"That's what we think, too," said Sirius.

"The last one," said Remus, "is the Killing Curse, Avada Kedavra. The person who it's cast on sees a jet of green light and immediately falls to the ground, dead."

Harry shivered. "Last night," he said, "Voldemort cast it on that old man I told you about." Looking at Sirius and Remus warily, he said, "that's how my parents ..."

"Yes," sighed Sirius. "The only good thing about this curse is that it's said to be quick and painless. But yes, that's how your parents died."

"I used to have nightmares," said Harry. "I still have them sometimes, you know. About Mum and Dad dying. I see the green light. I also see Voldemort casting it on me. I see the green light again, hear Voldemort laughing, and then get this pain in my forehead."

"Ah, that's when the curse backfired and struck him instead," said Remus. "The curse didn't do what it was intended to do to you; it only gave you a cut on your forehead."

"Right," said Harry. "I'm sorry for asking so many questions. And about asking you about my parents."

Sirius sighed. "It's okay Harry. The memories are painful, but we knew you'd be curious. It's perfectly all right."

"So now," Remus said, "Barty Crouch Sr. is head of the Department of Magical Cooperation."

"Ron told me that his brother Percy's an assistant of a Mr. Crouch," said Harry. "He also says Percy's in love with his work, and talks about him all the time. It must be the same one."

"Yep, that'd be him," said Remus. "And, as Sirius told you last night, his son died in Azkaban."

"He did," said Sirius. "Barty Sr. and his wife were allowed one last visit to him before he died. I saw him carrying his wife out of there from my cell."

"Wow," said Harry. "So this dream I had last night ... it doesn't make any sense. This Bartemius I saw in my dream, Voldemort called his father a fool. And he looked young, too."

"That's very interesting," said Remus thoughtfully. "Well, Albus is coming over this morning, so we're going to talk about this."

xxx

Sure enough, later that morning, Albus Dumbledore flooed into the house. Harry, Sirius, and Remus filled him in on the dream Harry had had last night. Dumbledore steepled his fingers, looking very thoughtful.

"This is disconcerting news," he said. "You said, Harry, that this felt very real to you?"

"Yes, sir," Harry answered. "And I just remembered something else. Voldemort said something about a woman named Bertha something. He said her disappearance wouldn't be unnoticed for long."

"Bertha Jorkins?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, that's it."

"Ah," said Dumbledore. "Yes, she has been missing for some time. This explains the matter. Did Voldemort say whether she is still alive?"

"No."

"I am guessing she probably is not," Dumbledore said, looking somber.

"He said he extracted some information from her. Something about a Memory Charm," said Harry.

"This is quite curious," said Dumbledore. "It looks to me as though you have a connection with Voldemort."

Harry's face grew pale. "Oh, no," he mumbled. "I don't want this."

"I know you don't, my boy," said Dumbledore gently. "We're going to do our best to try to fix it so you don't have a connection with him anymore. I am going to recommend, Harry, that you start Occlumency."

"What's that?"

"It's a special branch of magic that deals with mind penetration. I do not think Voldemort is aware of your connection yet, but if he becomes aware, that could mean bad things for you. He could possibly reach into your mind and start causing you to do things quite unlike yourself."

Harry started to shake. "You mean, he could possess me?" Sirius and Remus laid comforting hands on his shoulders to try to calm him.

"I'm afraid so," said Dumbledore. "But you mustn't worry about it now. Voldemort is still very weak; he still hasn't acquired a body yet. As long as this remains so, you should be all right. But I still recommend Occlumency. Remus, I know you are a good Occlumens and Legillimens. Are you willing to teach him?"

"I am willing to do whatever it takes to keep Harry safe," Remus answered.

"Good, good," said Dumbledore. "In order to learn Occlumency, Harry, you must let Remus into your mind. He will see certain memories of yours. Your goal is to try to push him out."

"How do I do that?" asked Harry, growing more nervous by the second.

"It requires great concentration," said Dumbledore. "I warn you, you will not get it the first time. I must ask you not to get frustrated, though; it takes some people years to learn it. It is a very difficult branch of magic. Legillimency is the opposite of Occlumency. To learn Legillimency, you must try to get into the other person's mind and stay there without the person pushing you out."

"Will I be learning that, too?"

"Eventually, yes. But you will learn Occlumency first."

Harry's face suddenly grew stricken. "But what if I don't want Remus to see certain things?" he asked shakily. "No offense, Remus, but there's just some things ..."

"I understand, Harry," said Remus softly. "Yes, there is a way to stop me from seeing things you don't want me to."

"I'll bring it over tomorrow," said Dumbledore. "It's called a Pensieve. You can store thoughts and memories in it. Once you put a memory in the Pensieve, it will become unable to be seen through Legillimency. A Pensieve can also be used for going back into a memory and seeing it objectively."

"You mean," said Harry, interested, "that I could see memories of things like my parents that way?"

"Yes," said Sirius. "We could do that for you, too. We could put memories of good times with James and Lily in the Pensieve so you could see what they looked like and how they acted. Would you like that, Harry?"

Harry smiled. "I'd love it."

"Good," smiled Dumbledore. "I'm glad we have that figured out. I also have to tell you, Harry, Occlumency will tire you out a lot, especially at first. I must tell you that when you get tired, you must stop, no matter how much you want to keep going. Can you promise me that?"

Harry looked at his Headmaster. "I promise, sir."

"Good. Well, I must be going. This news about Barty Crouch is very thought-provoking. I am going to go and talk to his father now. I will tell him that an anonymous source told me that his son might be still alive. I will not tell him it was you, Harry, because we don't want other people accidentally finding out."

"Okay," said Harry. "Goodbye, sir."

"Goodbye, Harry, Sirius, Remus. Enjoy the rest of your day."

xxx

"Winky, you have failed me!" bellowed Barty Crouch, Sr. He was sitting in a chair in his home, with Winky, his house-elf, on her knees on the floor.

"Winky is sorry, Master!" she cried, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Winky told you, Master Barty, he disappeared yesterday! He must have broken his hold on the Imperius Curse you cast on him, Master! He also somehow undid the powerful magic you placed on him to bind him to Winky, sir! Winky apologizes profusely!"

"You have still failed me, and I will not have a house-elf who is a failure," said Crouch angrily. "I'm afraid that this means clothes."

"No, no, no, no, no!" Winky cried. "Please, no, Master Barty! Winky will do all she can to find Master Barty's son!"

But Crouch didn't listen to her. He pulled a sock out of his pocket and handed it to her, and she immediately burst into more noisy tears.

"Leave now, Winky," commanded Crouch. "I don't want to see your sorry face again."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Winky continued to sob, and Crouch went to open the door. Standing in the doorway was Albus Dumbledore.

"Hello, Barty," said the hogwarts Headmaster. "How are you this morning?"

"Fine, Headmaster," said Crouch stiffly.

Dumbledore heard Winky sobbing. "Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"Yes, but it's all right," said Crouch, still talking very stiffly. "I am in the process of sending away my disobedient house-elf."

Dumbledore frowned. "What has Winky done?"

"She has failed me," said Crouch, avoiding the reason why.

"How?" asked Dumbledore.

"I'd rather not say," said Crouch.

"Very well," said Dumbledore. He walked into the living room and knelt by Winky's side. The house-elf was still sobbing, begging Crouch to give her another chance.

"Winky," Dumbledore said gently, "it's all right. If you'd like, you can work for me, at Hogwarts."

Winky looked at Dumbledore. "You want ... Winky ... to work at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?" she hiccuped.

"Yes, I would like that very much," said Dumbledore. "I will be there in a little while. Why don't you go to the kitchens and wait for me there? You could meet with the other house-elves."

"Yes, Headmaster Dumbledore," said Winky, and she disapparated with a POP!

"You're too soft with her, Headmaster," said Crouch, who was now in the living room as well.

"Must you be so harsh with her, Barty?" Dumbledore said, frowning. "Must you make her cry?"

"I am not concerned about a disobedient house-elf, Headmaster," said Crouch stonily.

"Very well," Dumbledore sighed.

"What is it you came for, Headmaster?"

"Maybe you could tell me that, Barty. Is there anything you'd like to tell me?"

Crouch suddenly looked nervous. Having the Headmaster of Hogwarts look at you with that penetrating gaze was scary for anyone. "N-no," he stuttered.

Dumbledore was a great Legillimens, and he could see everything he needed to know. He needed to coerce it out of Crouch.

"Barty, why did you send Winky away?" he asked again, quietly.

"I told you, I'd rather not talk about it," said Crouch, growing more agitated by the second. He looked at the Headmaster nervously.

"Maybe it is something I need to know. Tell me, Barty, what was your wife Winnifred's last wish?"

Barty's face suddenly grew pale. "Erm ... uh ..."

"Barty," said Dumbledore softly, "did you send Winky away because she doesn't know where your son is?"

Barty's face went white. "How do you ... how do you know about that?"

"I received information from an anonymous source that your son is still alive. Barty, you must understand, what you did to honor Winnifred must have been a big sacrifice on your part, but now that he is missing, this poses a threat to the wizarding community."

"I know, but I couldn't dishonor my wife, no matter what scum my son is," said Crouch, his face now growing red. "She begged and begged me to take him out of Azkaban and let her go there in his place. She loved him, but I could see he was scum right from the beginning. He disgraced the Crouch family name, being caught with Death Eaters. You know I have always been against the Dark Arts, Headmaster! To have a son who was actively involved with them is a disgrace!"

"I can see how you feel," said Dumbledore, "but to use such methods as the Imperius Curse against him? That spell is considered dark. I know it kept the community safe, but you have to know that a strong wizard like your son could break himself out of it, which is obviously what must have happened. Tell me what happened yesterday, please."

"He just disappeared," said Crouch unhappily. "Winky was supposed to be looking out for him, but she must have neglected her duties for a moment. Barty must have been able to free himself from the Imperius and disapparate out of here."

"You could have put wards on the house instead of using the Imperius, you know," Dumbledore told him quietly.

Crouch's face turned even redder with embarrassment. He had absolutely nothing to say to that.

"You know what I must do now, Barty," said Dumbledore. "With someone like your son on the loose, I must warn the wizarding community."

Crouch stood up and started pacing around the room. "What does that mean for me?" he asked, heart thumping wildly.

"Unfortunately, my boy," said Dumbledore somberly, "this probably means that you will have to serve time in Azkaban."

"No!" Crouch started to shake. "No, no, no, not Azkaban! Not that place!"

"What would you have me do, Barty? Let your son start committing atrocities on wizards? I'm afraid I can't do that."

Crouch stopped pacing and sighed. "I know. I'm sorry, Headmaster."

"I'm afraid that's all that can be done in this situation," said Dumbledore. "You must come with me to the Ministry now. We must let Cornelius Fudge know of this development."

Crouch looked reluctant, but after another minute of gazing at the Headmaster, he finally agreed. "But who is to judge the Triwizard Tournament next year?" was his final question.

"Who is your assistant, Barty?"

"Percy Weatherby, I think his name is," said Crouch.

"Ah, Percy Weasley," Dumbledore said. "He is a very responsible young man. I shall ask him to do it, and he should be glad to."

Crouch sighed again. "Very well."

"Good," said Dumbledore. With a POP, Bartemius Crouch Sr. and Albus Dumbledore disapparated to the Ministry of Magic.


	8. The Great Escape

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thanks so much for the reviews! They brighten up my day and bring a smile to my face. My sanity has been on the edge of snapping lately, it's all my ex-boyfriend's fault, lol. And you guys brought it fully back.

Enjoy this chappie!

Chapter 8: The Great Escape

The next morning, the Daily Prophet headlines screamed: THE TRUTH ABOUT BARTY CROUCH. The article was a story all about how Barty Crouch Jr. and his mother had taken Polyjuice Potion to switch their identities, and his mother had died in Azkaban instead of him. It told about how Barty Jr. had lived under the Imperius for years, and how he had finally broken out of it and escaped. It warned the wizarding community to keep a lookout for a man with straw-colored hair and other distinguishing features.

Needless to say, Harry, Sirius, and Remus were shocked. "I would have never thought Barty Crouch would do such a thing," said Sirius. "But he did love his wife, I'll give you that. Her wish was his command."

After breakfast, Remus said, "Guess where we're going today, gentlemen?"

"Where?" asked Harry.

"House-hunting!" chimed Remus. "We're going to find a permanent residence to live in! Would you like to look in Hogsmeade, near Diagon Alley, or in Muggle London?"

"Where would you like to live, Sirius and Remus?" Harry asked. "I don't really have a preference."

"I'd personally like to live in a magical community," Sirius said. "I have absolutely nothing against Muggles, but I really like the stores and choices of things in a magical area. How about you, Moony?"

"I'll do whatever you want, Padfoot," Remus answered.

"Yeah, you choose, Sirius," Harry said. "After all, you're free now. You should make the decision."

"Let's look in Hogsmeade, then," decided Sirius. "I always loved going there as a boy. There were a lot of nice homes there, and I'm sure that at least one of them will be for sale."

xxx

As they walked through the streets of Hogsmeade, they tried to ignore the stares that people gave them. Many of the occupants and visitors had read Rita Skeeter's article about Sirius's freedom, so many made disparaging and rude comments.

"I'm worried," one passerby said. "Black can't be that sane after twelve years in Azkaban Prison. What're the Ministry thinking, placing the Boy-Who-Lived in his care?"

"Ignore them, Sirius," Harry said comfortingly, seeing the tension in Sirius's face. "I hate the attention, too. But it's bound to die down in time."

They got quite a lot accomplished that day. They did find a few nice homes that were for sale, but none of them really grabbed their fancy. One had three bedrooms and a bathroom on the top floor, and a kitchen and living room on the bottom floor. A few were ranchers, meaning that there was only one floor. The three house-hunters did like them, but none of them screamed out at them.

They went out to dinner in Hogsmeade that evening, at the Three Broomsticks. Madame Rosmerta was there, and was very pleased to see them.

"Sirius Black!" she exclaimed, giving him a big smile. "And Remus Lupin! It's so good to see you together again. I found it very hard to believe that you had committed any of those crimes, Black, so I'm glad you're innocent."

"Thank you, Rosmerta," Sirius said, flashing her a dazzling smile as well. In his youth, he'd had a bit of a thing for Rosmerta.

"And Harry Potter!" She shook Harry's hand vigorously. "How good to see you! I hope you'll be coming here a lot next year. What are you now, going to be a fourth-year?"

"Yeah," said Harry.

"Don't worry, you'll be able to," said Sirius with a grin. "The Headmaster gave me a permission form for you, and I signed it. So you'll be allowed to go."

Harry beamed. "That's fantastic!" he said jubilantly. "Thanks, Sirius! I love this town!"

"I'm glad that you do, young Harry," said Rosmerta happily.

The three ordered drinks and food, and they sat there eating it and making small talk. After dinner, Sirius begged and begged Remus and Harry to go to Zonko's. "You never grow up, Padfoot, do you?" Remus said jokingly.

"Nope, I don't, Moony," laughed Sirius. They went into the joke shop, and Sirius got some prank items. "Don't think you'll get away with using them on me. I warned you about that before," said Remus.

"Your threats mean nothing to me," Sirius said with a good-natured cackle.

"Watch that I don't get you back," taunted Remus. Harry laughed outright at the antics of his two guardians.

xxx

Over the next few days, the house-hunting continued. On the fourth day, they found it. It was a white house with blue shutters, and just looking at it felt right. The address read 804 Lawdershod Avenue, Hogsmeade.

"Let's go in," said Sirius, and the two Marauders and their pup trooped into the house. They went in through the front door, and what they immediately saw was a stairway. But they decided to explore the first floor before venturing up the stairs.

They first went into the lounge, where there was room for a piano. "I used to play the piano back in the day," Remus said. "I think I can still remember how to play a few notes. Maybe we could invest in one."

"That sounds like a good idea," said Harry. "I've never really heard anyone play. I always heard it was a nice sound, though."

They then went into the dining room, where there was room for a table and chairs. "Looks like we'll have to buy a lot of furniture if we live here, but that's quite alright," said Sirius. He had a lot of money in his account. As well as the compensation for his wrongful imprisonment, he also had money James had left him in his will.

They went into the kitchen, which looked very pristine and clean. There was a counter, with a step going down into the family room. In there you could put a few chairs and couches.

"This is it," said Harry contentedly.

"Couldn't agree more, cub," Remus said.

"I love it," Sirius grinned.

There was also a bathroom in the family room. You opened a little door to get to it. "Everything's so easy to navigate," Harry surmised, which his two guardians agreed with as well.

Next, they explored the upstairs. There were four bedrooms, so there could be one for each of Harry's guardians, one for Harry himself, and one guest room. There was also a closet and a bathroom next to one of the rooms, and there was also another bathroom inside one of the bigger rooms. Sirius and Remus immediately started talking about who would get the room with the bathroom inside.

"Let's toss a galleon," Sirius suggested when they couldn't make up their minds. Harry had agreed that it should be either Sirius or Remus who got the room. They tossed the galleon, and it landed on tails, which was what Sirius had picked. "Haha, I win, Moony," he said playfully, punching his friend lightly in the shoulder. Remus just laughed and smiled at him. "Very well, Padfoot," he said.

"So you're saying we can have the house?" Harry asked excitedly.

"It's home," Sirius grinned.

"It's the Marauders' abode," said Remus delightedly.

"How soon can we move in?" asked Harry.

"Once we get everything finalized," Remus answered. "We'll let the real estate agency know that this is what we want."

"Where did our agent go?" asked Sirius.

"He's waiting for us downstairs, silly," answered Remus.

"Don't call me silly, Moony old boy," guffawed Sirius. "You're the silly one around here!"

"Oh, whatever you say, Padfoot, old man," said Remus, ruffling Sirius's hair.

"Hey, stop that! Stop messing with my shining locks!" said Sirius mock angrily.

Harry and Remus couldn't take it anymore; they burst out laughing. They laughed all the way downstairs, and the real estate agent looked at them as though they were odd.

xxx

The next day, Dumbledore came over. He'd decided not to come those few days before, since he knew the three planned to go house-hunting. But when he did come, he brought the Pensieve over. It was the fourth time he'd been to the little apartment; the time before was of course when he'd come to discuss Harry's dream, and the time before that was when he'd brought Harry's things over the day after his arrival, and the time that preceded that was when he came with Poppy Pomfrey the night Harry was hurt. He was getting used to the place by now, and he really liked it.

Harry was very curious about the Pensieve. After Dumbledore left, Remus told Harry that now they were to have their very first Occlumency lesson. Harry was very nervous, but his guardian assured him that it would be okay. Sirius sat on the couch, watching events unfold. "Don't interrupt us, though, Padfoot," Remus told him. "If you're going to sit here, you must be quiet."

"Yes, I know, Moony," answered Sirius. "I'm just going to sit here and read my book." He was flipping through the 500 Pranks to Play on Your Rivals book again.

"Okay, very well," Remus said, and Harry stood up, facing him. He'd already, with Dumbledore's help, put the memories he didn't want Remus to see in the Pensieve. All he'd had to do was put his wand to his temple, think very hard of the certain memory, and it would come out as a shining strand attached to his wand. Then he would put it in the Pensieve. He had watched interestedly as the shimmering strands swam around in the bowl.

"Now, what you have to do is try to push me out of your mind," Remus explained. "When I say "Legillimens," you will see flashes of different memories."

"So my goal is to stop you from seeing them?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Remus affirmed. "Now, concentrate. Are you ready, Harry?"

"Yes, I am."

"Okay, on three. One-two-three-Legillimens!"

FLASH! Harry was five years old and Dudley was crying and telling Uncle Vernon that his cousin had broken his bike when he hadn't.

FLASH! He was eleven years old and Uncle Vernon was driving furiously, trying to get his family and Harry away from the wings of owls delivering Hogwarts letters.

FLASH! He was still eleven years old and was fighting Quirrellmort in the room with the Sorcerer's Stone.

FLASH! He was staring into the Mirror of Erised, looking longingly at his parents and other distant relatives.

FLASH! He was twelve years old and Ginny lay dying in the Chamber of Secrets. "Please don't be dead, Ginny, please don't be dead!" he was muttering.

FLASH! He was fighting the basilisk.

FLASH! He was thirteen and dementors were closing in on him at the Quidditch match.

GET OUT, Harry thought frantically. I DON'T WANT YOU TO SEE ANYMORE!

He suddenly found himself on the floor, panting, gasping for breath. Remus had a concerned hand on him. "Up you get, Harry," he said gently. "Not too bad for a first time."

Harry felt very weak. He sat up, and Remus handed him a bar of chocolate. "Here you go," he said. "Chocolate's not only good for fighting off the effects of dementors, you know."

Harry gratefully took the chocolate and gobbled it all up. He sat and relaxed for a minute, and then tried again. It was not much better this time; Remus still got to see plenty of his childhood memories before he was finally pushed out. Many of them included his relatives. Remus was appalled at the neglect he'd had to put up with over the years. No wonder Harry had felt unloved when he'd come to them!

"I'm hopeless at this," he muttered as he sat up after two more times.

"Harry, what did Dumbledore tell you?" Remus chided gently. "He told you it might take you years to learn this. Believe me, you're not hopeless. I think we should stop for now, though. You look exhausted."

Harry reluctantly agreed. He was given some more chocolate to eat, and felt a little stronger after that.

"We can try again in a few days," Remus promised. "I'm sure that in time, your control will become better. Dumbledore's first plan was to have Severus Snape teach you, but Sirius and I were strongly against that. I think the wounds run too deep for you two to work together. So that's why he asked me to teach you on the day he came round."

"I'm glad," said Harry. "I don't think I could have put up with Snape ambling around in my mind."

"Well said, Harry," said Sirius. He had just taken his nose out of his book because he'd heard the topic of conversation. "I don't want Snivellus anywhere near your mind. I don't want him finding out any information about you that you don't want him to know."

"Thank you," said Harry sincerely.

"No problem," Remus said. "And I know how much you already dislike his teaching methods; I doubt that Occlumency would have been any better than Potions."

"I probably wouldn't have been motivated to learn it at all," Harry admitted. "And then my mind would have no way of being safe from Voldemort."

xxx

That night, Harry fell into a dream. The first thing he noticed was that his scar was prickling. The second thing he noticed was that he was back in the room in the old, old house. As he surveyed his surroundings, he could see the masked man kneeling over the thing in the chair again. Oh, dear, Harry thought unhappily. Another Voldemort vision. Just what I need.

"Tell me, Crouch, you imbecile!" the thing in the chair, Voldemort, snarled. "Tell me how that fool Dumbledore found out about your survival!"

"I d-don't k-know, my l-Lord ..." Barty Crouch Jr. stuttered.

"You don't know?" Voldemort said in a soft, dangerous voice. "Very well. Crucio!"

Harry's scar seared, and horrible screams of pain came from Barty. He was on the ground, writhing in agony. This must be the Cruciatus Curse, Harry thought in horror. He didn't like this Barty Crouch, but seeing the pain Voldemort inflicted on his own servants was just terrible!

When Voldemort finally lifted the curse, Barty was shaking and trembling. "Get up, Crouch!" the Dark Lord snapped. "Don't lay there like an idiot! Get up!"

Crouch struggled to do as he was told. When he finally managed it, he faced Voldemort again. "You would do well to answer Lord Voldemort properly when he questions you," the Dark Lord hissed. "Now, get ready to apparate. We are going to do our deed now."

"Yes, my Lord," Barty answered obediently.

"I reminded you a few days ago that we would be staying here about a week," Voldemort said. "I reiterated the fact that it would be foolish to act before the end of the Quidditch World Cup. Well, the week is up, and we will still not act to get our hands on Potter before the cup is over, but our other deed shall be done now. I have decided that we are still going to stay here until August, however."

"Very well, my Lord."

Harry was hoping he'd wake up now, but he was mistaken. There was a POP! and he seemed to follow the two dark wizards to wherever they were going.

"I am most grateful to you for working on these wards for so long without anyone noticing," Voldemort purred. "It is a good thing you stole your father's invisibility cloak. That's one thing your father was useful for."

Harry realized that they were standing on an island, with a great fortress standing in front of them. He guessed, with a thrill of terror, exactly where he was. He'd heard descriptions of it before, and what he was seeing now matched them very well. Azkaban Prison, the place where his godfather had spent twelve years for atrocities he did not commit.

"Tell me again," whispered Voldemort, "how you succeeded in breaking the wards without anyone being any the wiser."

"Very complicated Dark Magic, my Lord," Barty answered. "I placed charms all around the area that alerted the guards that the wards had not been tampered with."

"Very good, very good," Voldemort hissed.

"Thank you, my Lord. Your gratitude is most rewarding," Barty said. "My extensive study of the Dark Arts would come in useful one day, I knew."

"Well, you were right for once, my faithful servant. Come on, let's go."

Harry followed Barty and his Lord inside Azkaban Proper. It looked awful! The first thing he noticed was a few guards sitting at posts inside the prison. As quick as a flash, Barty pointed his wand at the guards, muttering the two dreaded words of the Killing Curse. The guards fell dead before they knew what had hit them.

Barty, carrying the thing that looked like Voldemort in his arms, started walking down corridors. Whenever they saw a dementor, Harry saw him point his wand and cast a complicated spell which seemed to subdue them. "I learned this handy little spell from your extensive tome collection, my Lord," Barty boasted. "Thank you so very much for giving me the honor of looking at them."

"The pleasure is mine, Barty," the sibilant voice hissed. "The dementors will only come back to themselves once our deed is done. Just be glad that they did not cause you any adverse effects before you cast the spell."

"I am glad, my Lord. I have learned to deal with dementors by doing what the common fools do, by thinking of happy thoughts; thoughts of us ruling the world, of the filthy Muggles and mudbloods all being destroyed."

Voldemort cackled evilly. "You are my most obedient servant, are you not, Barty?"

"I try, my Lord."

"The answer is yes or no, you imbecile!"

"Y-yes, my Lord."

As Harry looked on, he was unable to stop the next part from happening, as much as he wanted to. Barty, being directed by Voldemort, started opening doors of cells. Some of the people who came out looked insane. They were still alive, but their eyes were staring into nothingness. Some, however, looked gaunt and ragged, but jubilant at seeing their rescuers. One of the prisoners was Peter Pettigrew. He was trembling like a leaf, but managed a smile when he saw who had rescued him.

"I knew you would come for me, my Lord!" cried a woman with heavy-lidded eyes. She was beaming at Barty and the thing in her arms. "My Lord, is this what you have been reduced to?" she said in a shocked voice.

"Ah, yes," Voldemort snarled. "But never fear, Bella. I will regain my body in due time."

More cell doors opened, and more people poured out of them. When Barty got to one cell, however, he sneered. It seemed that Dumbledore had been right; the Ministry had put Barty Crouch Sr. in Azkaban to serve time.

"Well, well, well," Barty Jr. growled as he looked at the crumpled figure lying on his ridiculously small cot. "Hello, Father. Are you pleased to see me?"

His father sat up and glared at his son. "What are you doing here, you scum?" he roared.

His son laughed. "I am willing to wager that the answer is no," he said mockingly, an evil grin sliding onto his face. "Your prayers have been answered; you're getting out of here. But ... ah, Father, your prayers are also NOT answered, because you're not getting out of here the way you hoped." He raised his wand and held it at his father's head.

Crouch Sr. looked at the wand. "And what are you going to do to me, you filthy mongrel, you are a disgrace to the Crouch family name! I knew you were filth, I knew you tortured those Aurors!"

"Yes, and I enjoyed it, too!" smiled Crouch Jr. "It's time for me to end your pathetic life. Goodbye, Father. Avada Kedavra!"

The green light went speeding towards Crouch Sr. and he fell to the ground, his eyes wide open in horror and shock. There was no doubt in Harry's mind: he was dead.

Harry's scar seared again, and he screamed in pain. Sitting bolt upright in bed, he realized the full extent of what had happened.

Mr. Crouch Sr. was gone, and Azkaban had been broken open, and dangerous prisoners, including Peter Pettigrew, were now free.


	9. Harry's Fourteenth Birthday

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Author's Note: Thank you so much for the awesome reviews! One of my most faithful reviewers said that they've been depressed lately because one of their favorite shows got cancelled! Man, I'm sorry to hear that, that SUCKS! Hopefully reading this will make you feel better.

On another note, yesterday I had to make a heartbreaking decision. I've just decided on another beloved character I'm going to have to kill later on in this story, at the end of sixth year. Yes, I do plan to have this fic go until Hary's final battle, at the end of his seventh year. I don't know if any of you guys feel the same way I do, but sometimes it's as hard to write a character's death as an author as it is for my readers to read about it, especially if the character is well-loved. I've written HP fanfic since 2008 and I've killed off many characters in my time, and it's even made me cry to do it in some fics! But I'll try to explain. This may sound strange to you, but sometimes I hear the characters talking inside my head, and they'll tell me to do what feels right. When I made the decision yesterday to kill off one, that particular character was okay with it. The only thing they told me was that they didn't want to go without a fight. Well, their wish is my command. But don't fret, you'll not have to worry about that until end of sixth year. I won't tell you who it is who's going to die of course, but every time you see a loved character on your screen, just cherish them!

Anyway, enough of my rambling. Please enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 9: Harry's Fourteenth Birthday

"Harry!" came a concerned voice, snapping Harry out of his dazed thoughts. It was Sirius, and following close behind was Remus.

"What happened, cub?" Remus asked. "Another nightmare?"

"We've got to notify Dumbledore, now!" Harry cried.

"Why? What's happened?"

"Azkaban ... Azkaban's been broken open! Barty Crouch Jr. found a way to break in, and he brought the deformed body of Voldemort with him. He also found some spell to get past the dementors. Everyone's free, including Peter Pettigrew! Barty Crouch Sr. is dead, his son killed him!"

Both Sirius and Remus's faces went white. "Dammit!" Sirius swore, running out of the room. Remus sat on the edge of Harry's bed, his thoughts going a mile a minute. "Are you sure that's what you saw, Harry?" he asked.

"Yes," said Harry. "I don't believe it!"

Sirius came back into the room after about two minutes, followed by Albus Dumbledore. It seemed as though the Headmaster was a light sleeper; it had taken him hardly any time to arrive. His face looked ashen, and he was extremely worried. "Harry, what is this I hear about Azkaban?" he asked.

"Azkaban's been broken open," Harry repeated. He then told Dumbledore all the details he remembered of the dream.

"Oh dear," said the Headmaster. "This, I was not expecting. You say Crouch Sr. is dead?"

"Yes," said Harry. "And the guards of the prison."

"I must notify other guards immediately." Dumbledore said somberly. "But you can be sure that I will not trace this back to you."

"Thank you, sir," said Sirius, and Dumbledore left. Sirius joined Remus in sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"I don't think I'll be able to get back to sleep now," said Harry honestly. "This changes everything, doesn't it?"

"It does," said Remus solemnly. ""I can't believe it."

"And that bastard Peter is free," Sirius snarled. "And Bellatrix Lestrange. My evil cousin. Did you know, Harry, I hated my family growing up?"

Harry was surprised. He never would have thought Sirius had an unhappy home life. "Yeah, that's right," Sirius said. "My parents were obsessed with their stupid pureblood mania. They believed that purebloods were better than any other wizards or Muggles, and they tried to get me to believe in the whole thing. My little brother, Regulus, believed it wholeheartedly."

"I didn't know you had a brother," said Harry.

"I did," replied Sirius. "He was two years younger than me. He's dead now; he was a Death Eater back in Voldemort's first reign of terror. He was given an assignment to kill someone, and he backed out of it. So he wasn't totally heartless," he said with a bitter edge to his voice. "He was so subserviant to our parents it made me sick, though."

"Calm down, Sirius," said Remus, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. But Sirius continued to rant; nothing could stop him now.

"It was horrible. He was killed by one of Voldemort's supporters. No, he wasn't important enough to be killed by Voldemort himself. My parents wanted me to be a good little boy and join the Death Eaters too, but I point-blank refused. I wasn't going to assist anyone in killing people. It's just wrong.

"My home was located at 12, Grimmauld Place. I hated that damn, bloody hell of a house. Every Black besides me has been in Slytherin, so my parents were appalled that I became a Gryffindor. Mother sent me a Howler the next day, and it totally embarrassed me. She couldn't resist saying how much of a disappointment I was to the whole family. But I didn't want to be like them, bigoted and prejudiced. Every Christmas vacation and every summer it got worse and worse. I had to watch my little brother bow down to our parents all the time, and when he attended Hogwarts with me, I had to watch him hang around with Snivellus and the other Slytherins, and they drilled the pureblood garbage into his head even more.

"Finally, in the summer after my fifth year, I couldn't take it anymore. I was sick of my parents' dinner parties, sick of their social gatherings, sick of being stuck hanging around my stupid cousins Narcissa and Bellatrix. Narcissa ended up marrying Lucius Malfoy, and Bellatrix ended up marrying Rodolphus Lestrange. They're all rotten to the freaking core. We never got along, and Bellatrix is just psychotic. She loves torturing people and killing them. I had to put up with her in Azkaban for years, hearing her repeat over and over again, "The Dark Lord shall come for me! He will rise again, you all will see!" Looks like she got her wish," he snarled angrily.

"So anyway, I ran away from home that summer," he continued. "I went to stay with your dad, Harry. He and his family were wonderful; they gave me a second home. They said I was always welcome, so I stayed there until a few years later when I got my own flat. My dear old mother burned my name off the Black family tapestry. I was disowned. The same went for my favorite cousin, Andromeda. She married a Muggle-born by the name of Ted Tonks. They have a daughter named Nymphadora."

"Wow," Harry exclaimed, now that his godfather had come to the end of his tirade. "Just ... wow. I'm so sorry to hear all that."

"Well, it's over now," Sirius said, still with that bitterness in his voice. "I can't even imagine what those awful Death Eaters are going to do now that they're free. And Peter! Hanging around with scum like them!" He gave a furious growl like a dog.

The three of them stayed up the rest of the night, talking in hushed tones. At one point, Harry said, "So it looks like we won't be going to the World Cup now, right? I mean, Voldemort said that he wasn't going to start his plan of getting his hands on me until after it was over, but you probably still don't want to go. If you don't, that's alright, I understand."

Sirius and Remus could hear the resignation in his voice, and see the disappointment and heartbreak in his eyes. They exchanged glances, and made a decision that they hoped they wouldn't regret.

"We mustn't let them scare us," Remus said finally. "If we let these Death Eaters rule our lives, we won't be able to go anywhere. That will be playing right into their hands. We're still going to go to the Cup, but we have to be very cautious. I want you to stay with us at all times, do you understand?"

"Yes," said Harry, his spirits rising a little.

Sirius started pacing around the room. He was really agitated about Peter. He thought he had finally put that scum in the place where he belonged. "I still can't believe Peter's free," he said with venom.

"You mustn't keep perceverating on that, though, Sirius," said Remus gently. "I know it's hard, and he was our friend at one time, but we must try to separate this man from the man he was back in our school days. If we think of him as two different people, it should be easier."

"Easier said than done," muttered Sirius.

"I can't disagree with you there," sighed Remus.

Over the next few weeks, Harry's Occlumency training continued. Luckily, he had no more dreams of Voldemort during this time, and no news had been heard about any of the escaped Death Eaters. Harry also had described to Dumbledore exactly what he had seen in the old house the Dark Lord was residing in for now. The Headmaster said it was probably the Riddle House in Little Hangleton. Unfortunately, there was no way for him to get in. Powerful Dark magic had been used to situate wards on the house so that only people whose magical signature they recognized could get in. Dumbledore said he would get to work on trying to break them, and then he and some people he knew could try to ambush the Death Eaters. In the deformed state Voldemort was in, he would probably be easy to capture.

When it came to happier news, Harry's birthday was coming up. He was turning fourteen years old, and his two guardians wanted to make this the happiest birthday he'd ever had. They were once again appalled that the Dursleys had never got him anything for his birthday, they had never even said "happy birthday" to him. During an Occlumency lesson, Remus had seen a memory of Harry drawing a birthday cake on the wall with seven candles on it. This had obviously happened seven years ago.

"We're going to have a little party for you," Sirius said cheerfully a few days before his birthday. "Who would you like to have over?"

Harry was shocked. "You don't have to do that!" he exclaimed.

Remus put an arm around him. "We want to," he said quietly. "You've never had a birthday party before. We want to make this one special."

Harry looked choked up over this statement. He had always thought he was just a freak and a burden, someone undeserving of such things. He'd always watched Dudley have parties with his friends, and they'd played games and eaten cake and Dudley had opened a massive pile of presents. Aunt Petunia was always going on about how her little Diddydum kins had to have the best, best day!

"So who do you want to have over?" repeated Sirius.

"Obviously the Weasleys," Harry said with a smile. "The whole family. I've never met Charlie and Bill; I've always wanted to know what they're like."

"Absolutely!" boomed Sirius. "Of course you can have them over! Anyone else?"

Harry thought for a minute. "Neville Longbottom," he decided. "And Cedric Diggory. He just became my friend in the last week of term. Oh, and Seamus and Dean, from my dorm."

"That'll be great!" said Sirius happily. "My godson's turning fourteen! Hooray!"

"Diggory, did you say?" asked Remus. "Cedric's father must be Amos Diggory. He works in the Ministry, at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. I see him about once a year when I have to go to the werewolf registry to reregister for my lycanthropy."

"Are you okay with seeing him?" Harry asked concernedly. He knew how most of the wizarding world perceived and reacted to werewolves.

"Of course," smiled Remus. "Look, Harry, I've had people resenting me for what I am my whole life. It doesn't really phase me anymore."

Harry felt sad at this. The fact that his guardian had had to go through so much prejudice that by now he had become accustomed to it was upsetting. But he nodded his head, and invitations were sent by owl.

On the day of Harry's birthday, he was awoken to a big, shaggy black dog licking his face. "Oy, Sirius, gedoff!" he said groggily, his eyes still clogged with sleep.

But Sirius was in a jubilant mood, and didn't listen to Harry. He started barking very loudly, and demanded to be scratched behind the ears. Not being able to suppress a smile, Harry did as Sirius-the-dog asked. Finally, the big dog gave it up and turned into his godfather, who immediately pounced on him. "Happy birthday, pup!" he boomed excitedly.

Remus was in the room too, laughing at his best friend's antics. "Happy birthday, cub," he said, smiling softly.

"Thanks, guys," Harry said with a grin. He felt so warm inside; just waking up to special treatment like this made him feel so good. All his worries could go away for just one day. He was not going to think about Pettigrew or Voldemort or any other Death Eaters today. He was also not going to think about the Dursleys. He'd received answers from the Weasleys, Cedric, Neville, Dean, and Seamus that they could all come to his party. He was so excited!

"Presents, presents, presents!" chanted Sirius, jumping up and down.

"Oh, Padfoot, stop acting like a child!" Remus laughed. He and Sirius went into Sirius's room, followed by Harry. "I hope you like what we got you," Remus said. "We got you a few things each."

Harry beamed. "You didn't have to get me anything," he said.

"Of course we did!" said Sirius. "You don't turn fourteen every day, you know!" He was doing his best to try to be lighthearted, although the anger at the Dursleys still gnawed at the edge of his conciousness. What he wouldn't give just to throttle them all! Harry was still healing from the whole horrible experience. He really hadn't opened up and talked to him and Remus much about it yet, but that would come with time. For now, Harry was just happy to be away from his horrible relatives.

"Rip them open, go on Harry!" said Remus, grinning widely.

But Harry didn't rip his presents open. Since he hadn't had any presents before, he savored every moment of unwrapping them. The first thing he unwrapped was a book about Quidditch. "Oh, cool! It's about different teams!" he exclaimed. This gift was from Sirius. He gave his godfather a grin and thanked him profusely.

The present-opening ceremony continued. He received a book on advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts from Remus. He also got more clothes from the two of them, and a Snitch as well. Harry was thrilled with this, and kept catching it every two seconds. Sirius and Remus burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Harry asked curiously.

"Just remembering James," said Remus fondly. "He used to do that all the time. We used to sit under a tree on the Hogwarts grounds, and he'd literally spend hours playing with it."

"Oh wow," Harry said. "I love it! Now when we play Quidditch, I'll have a Snitch of my own!"

The two friends smiled proudly, pangs of nostalgia surging through them.

Harry also received his very own Pensieve. "You can keep any thoughts you like in this," said Sirius. "Remus and I thought it was important that you had one of your own. That way, you don't always have to borrow Dumbledore's."

"Thank you," Harry said sincerely, staring into the bowl. He'd always found pensieves fascinating since the day he'd found out about them. He saw that there were already some strands in it. "What are these of?" he asked.

"Those, Harry, are of your parents," Remus smiled. "We put some good memories in there for you. You can explore them whenever you want. ;there're some funny ones, and some other happy ones. We only put the good times in there. We wanted you to see us when we were happy, when we were all inseparable best friends."

"Wow. Thanks so much," Harry exclaimed, giving his guardians a hug. There were tears in his voice; his emotions were running out of control. The two friends held him close, thanking Merlin that they had this beautiful young boy to make their lives brighter.

After a delicious birthday breakfast, Harry spent the rest of the morning reading some of the new books he had received. He was very interested in the subject matter, and particularly loved watching the figures swoop around on broomsticks in his Quidditch book.

After lunch, people started arriving for his party. First to arrive were the Weasleys. Everyone said hello, and the whole family was happy to see him.

"Hey, I'm Bill Weasley," Bill introduced himself. "I work at Gringotts in Egypt as a curse breaker. This here is my brother, Charlie."

"What's up, mate?" said Charlie cheerfully. "It's great to meet you! I've heard all about you from Ron, Ginny and the twins. I work with dragons in Romania."

"Wow, that's exciting," said Harry. "Great to meet you both!"

"And Harry knows who we are, right, mate?" said Fred.

"Haven't forgotten us, have you?" said George.

"How could I forget the infamous twins?" Harry grinned.

"What's going on, mate?" Ron said. "Happy birthday!"

"Thanks," said Harry. Hermione rushed up to him and hugged him; she had just arrived at the Burrow two days ago. "Hi, Harry!" she exclaimed happily. "How are you?"

"I'm doing fine, Hermione," Harry said. But she could just tell he'd had a hard summer before he'd come to live here, though. There were still remnants of that haunted look in Harry's emerald eyes, but she told herself that she wouldn't bring it up on his birthday.

Harry then saw Ginny, and they exchanged smiles and hellos. They kept eye contact for quite a while, and Harry felt that connection again, like he'd felt it the time before.

Cedric Diggory was next to arrive. Sirius and Remus thought his father was tactless, because he boasted about Cedric winning the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff in front of them and Harry. "Leave him alone, Dad," Cedric said rather crossly, his face flushing with embarrassment. "He fell off his broom!"

"But YOU didn't fall off, did you, son?" Mr. Diggory boomed. "Doesn't take long to figure out who's the better flyer!"

"Dad, seriously, stop it!" Cedric said. Eileen Diggory, his mother, gave his father a glare. Mr. Diggory finally snapped his mouth shut.

The party was wonderful. Harry received lots of marvelous presents. Not surprisingly, he received a book from Hermione; it was all about Animagi. From Ron he received a new set of Quidditch robes. From Mr. and Mrs. Weasley he received a brand new Weasley sweater and some delicious chocolate fudge. From the twins he received 500 Pranks to Play on Your Rivals.

"Hey, that's the same book I've got!" Sirius said with a mischievous grin.

"Thanks, guys!" Harry said, even though Mrs. Weasley was glaring at the twins. "Don't encourage him!" she said to them, but Fred and George just grinned goofily and said together, "We're doing nothing wrong, Mum, just showing our true talent." From Cedric, Harry received two Bludgers and a Quaffle. "Cool, I've got a whole set of Quidditch things now!" he beamed. Ginny, Neville, Seamus, and Dean gave him things like cologne, clothes and aftershave.

There was a beautiful cake, chocolate and vanilla in flavor. Everyone ate it with vigor. Remus was a pretty good cook, and had made it himself. It was hilarious, because Sirius was always trying to help. Remus had told him to get out of the kitchen because he was a horrible cook. This resulted in the two Marauders throwing flour at one another and laughing their heads off. Harry chortled at them and treasured every moment of the humorous scene.

Everyone sang two renditions of Happy Birthday. Sirius and Remus said it was Marauder tradition to first sing the song out-of-tune and really horribly. This resulted in a terrible cacophony of sound which Harry couldn't help laughing at. The twins really outdid themselves when it came to this. The second rendition was supposed to be sung beautifully with melodious harmonies. Once again, the twins couldn't help saying "Cha cha cha!" at the end of every line.

Emotions soared through Harry again at a tremendous rate. Everyone was singing for HIM! He started to get rather choked up, and his two guardians noticed. They each put a hand on Harry's shoulder and smiled gently at him. Harry managed to smile back through the tears in his eyes.

Everyone stayed till the evening, and then they all went home. Neville and Ginny had been rather shy at the party, but Harry did his best to make them feel welcome. Dean, Seamus, and Cedric had also been great company. Cedric let Harry know that he was also going to the World Cup, so they might see each other there. Harry was thrilled.

Once everyone had left, the fourteen-year-old boy found that he was exhausted. He got ready for bed, and his guardians tucked him in, saying another soft "happy birthday," to him. He drifted into sleep, feeling the happiest he'd ever felt in fourteen years.

Remus sighed contentedly as he got into his bed. He smiled at Sirius, who had come to bid him good night, from across the room. "I think you made it a wonderful birthday for Harry," he said.

"Thank you. You too, mate," Sirius said truthfully. "I bet James and Lily are looking down on us now. They'd have given anything to be here, celebrating with us."

"Yes, they would," sighed Remus. "But they'll always be in our hearts. And even though Harry doesn't remember them, they'll always be in his too."

"They will," Sirius said. "Good night, Moony, old pal. See you in the morning."

"Good night, Padfoot, old friend."


	10. The Quidditch World Cup

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thanks again to my wonderful reviewers! I will give you one hint about one of the characters I am planning to kill off at the end of sixth year. It is not a main character, but yes, it is one of the characters who died in canon. But please don't worry about that yet!

One of my reviewers mentioned that Harry did not invite Hermione himself to the party. You're right, but it was an automatic assumption on my part that since he knew she would be staying with the Weasleys, her being invited was of course the case.

A couple of lines in this chapter are taken from Goblet of Fire, the movie. I thought them hilarious and so decided to include them.

Please enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 10: The Quidditch World Cup

A few mornings later, Sirius and Remus woke Harry. "It's time to get going!" Remus said cheerfully. "We're going to the Quidditch World Cup!"

They got up and had a spot of breakfast, and then they walked up to where their portkey would be taking them to the site where the cup was. When Sirius and Remus explained to Harry what a portkey was, he was fascinated with the new mode of transportation.

"We've set up a spot right next to the Weasleys, you'll be happy to know," Sirius grinned. "Arthur told me their portkey will be arriving just before ours. So we will see them just after we get there."

"Cool!" said Harry. When they arrived at where the portkey was, they found an old basket sitting on the ground. "Is this it?" Harry asked curiously.

"Yes," said Remus. "We must all put our hands on it. It will be leaving in one minute."

So all three put their hands on the portkey, and in exactly a minute, they felt a tug behind their navel. Then they were whizzing into the air, and it was a very strange sensation to Harry. He could see sky whirling past him, and then, OOF!

He landed on the ground. His two guardians helped him to get to his feet. Also standing there were the Weasleys, and Cedric Diggory and his father.

"Hey, guys!" Harry exclaimed. "Good to see you!"

"What's up, Harry?" Cedric said. "You look a little dizzy. Never taken a portkey before?"

"Nah," Harry answered.

"It's great that we'll be staying at a Muggle campsite," said Mr. Weasley. "I heard they don't use eckeltricity when they're camping, though."

"Electricity," Hermione automatically corrected.

"Oh," said Mr. Weasley. "Well, I'll get it someday." He laughed.

The whole group started walking. They walked a little ways, and when they got to where they needed to be, they talked to the man who was helping them find their places. He was a Muggle whose last name was Roberts. Once they arrived, Sirius and Remus helped set up the tent. Sirius was finding it hard, and Remus couldn't help laughing at him. Harry had never been camping before; the Dursleys had of course never taken him, but he also helped the best he could.

It just so happened that the Diggorys were staying in the near vicinity, so it looked like everyone could just hang out together. When Harry's group had finished setting up the tent, Harry walked inside and was amazed by what he saw. Instead of a regular Muggle tent, it was like a house. There was a living room and a kitchen, and two bedrooms. It was absolutely mind-boggling. His guardians grinned at the look on his face.

"That's a magical tent for ya," Sirius beamed. "It's very different from an ordinary Muggle one. There's room to put all kinds of stuff in here."

"Isn't the stove in the kitchen fabulous?" Remus asked. "And the chairs and counter?"

"Yeah, I love magic," smiled Harry.

"How about we have lunch, then?" Sirius asked. "You can invite the Weasleys, Hermione, and Cedric and his father in here if you like."

"That'd be great!" Harry replied. When he asked them, they all said yes, so they trooped into the tent.

"Hey, I like this," said Cedric. "How're you doing, Mr. Black? Professor Lupin?"

"I told you at Harry's party, Cedric, you don't need to call me Mr. Black," Sirius said with a laugh. "You can be informal here. Just call me Sirius."

"And just call me Remus," said Remus. "I'm not your professor anymore."

"Okay, Sirius, Remus," Cedric said, grinning. "You've got two great guardians, Harry."

"Thanks. I couldn't agree more," said Harry.

"Let's eat then," said Ron. "I'm famished!"

"You're always hungry, Ron," chortled Fred.

"You'll be fat one day," chuckled George.

"Watch it, you two!" grumbled Ron.

Ginny smiled at Harry, and Harry smiled back. Sirius and Remus started setting up the food. They were having sausages, mashed potatoes, and baked beans. They all ate, with Ron of course eating the most vigorously. "Loo'in' forwar' to the cup?" he mumbled.

"Couldn't hear you, Ron," Remus said, the corners of his mouth twitching up. "What did you say?"

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Ronald," Hermione couldn't resist saying.

"If Mum were here, she'd kill you," said Ginny.

Arthur chuckled. "Yes, Ron. Be polite."

Ron swallowed with difficulty. "Looking forward to the cup?" he repeated himself.

"Yes, I am," said Cedric. "I can't wait to see what professional Quidditch is like!"

"You've never been to a game before?" said Fred.

"Not to a World Cup game," Cedric smiled. Finally, the other members of the Gryffindor team didn't seem to be holding a grudge against him anymore.

"We have been to other matches," Mr. Diggory said. "But we've heard that the World Cup games can be very dirty. I wonder what mascots both teams are bringing today."

"Yeah, it's Bulgaria against Ireland," Mr. Weasley said cheerfully. "Viktor Krum'll be playing!"

"Krum! Krum! Krum!" the twins chanted.

"Yeah, he flies like a bird," Ron grinned.

"I think you're in love, Ron," Ginny said jokingly.

"Oh, shut up, Gin," Ron said, stabbing at a sausage with his fork.

"Ronald! Don't be so rude!" Hermione reprimanded.

The meal went on, with light chatter amongst everyone. They talked mostly about Quidditch, until Charlie said, "After this, I'll be seeing you Hogwarts students sooner than you think."

"Charlie!" cried Percy, scandalized. "You are not supposed to tell them! They are not supposed to know the information until the Ministry sees fit to release it."

"What information?" said Fred at once.

"Until the Ministry sees fit to release what?" said George.

"Never you mind," said Percy. "Something big's happening at Hogwarts this year, but you're not supposed to know."

"Oh, come on!" said Ron. "Tell us, Perce, please?"

"No," said Percy, putting his foot down. "Now all of you, take your minds off of it and keep them on the game."

"The Ministry's been in an uproar lately, hasn't it, Dad?" Cedric said after a moment of silence. The twins kept glaring at Percy every now and then, and Percy kept glaring at Charlie.

"Yes, it has," Mr. Diggory said. "Ever since the whole Crouch incident, and then those Death Eaters escaping Azkaban, it's been up in arms."

"I was very disappointed in Mr. Crouch," interjected Percy. "I thought that a man of such high esteem would not carry out something just because his wife asked him to."

"But he loved her!" said Ginny.

"It doesn't matter, Ginny," said Percy stiffly. "He let a dangerous criminal out of Azkaban, and now he's had to pay the price for it."

"Percy Weasley, what a terrible thing to say!" exclaimed his father. "You cannot say that Mr. Crouch's death was all his own fault! We don't even know whether it was his son who killed him!" Of course, Harry knew that it was, but as promised, Dumbledore had not told the guards and the Ministry every single bit of information Harry had given him.

"I think it was very brave of Mr. Crouch to do as his wife asked," said Bill. "I don't think in the long run that it was the right thing to do, but it's done now, and unfortunately he's now dead."

Percy didn't say anything, but he looked at Bill and his father in a way that suggested he deeply disagreed with them.

After a little while, everyone went to go look around some little stores that were near the site. In the stores were pairs of omnioculars, and little models of the Irish and Bulgarian players.

"I'm getting this one," said Ron at once. He held up a little figurine of Viktor Krum. "I have the money for it, Dad. Can I get it?"

"Sure," said Mr. Weasley.

"Harry, do you want anything?" asked Sirius.

"What do these do?" asked Harry, looking at a pair of omnioculars.

"These are called omnioculars," explained Remus. "You put them on, and they show you the match as if you're seeing it right up close. There are rewind, faster, and slower buttons on the side of them. The rewind button does just what it implies: it rewinds so you can see what happened in an earlier part of the game. The faster and slower buttons can show you the moves the players make at a very fast or slow rate."

"That's really interesting," said Harry, fascinated. "Ron, would you like a pair? Fred? George? Ginny? Hermione? Cedric?"

"That's awfully nice of you," said Mr. Diggory. "But we've actually got our own."

Mr. Weasley beamed at Harry. "That's all right," he said. "Our family doesn't need any."

"Oh, come on!" Harry insisted. "I can buy them for you, it's no problem!"

The Weasleys kept refusing, but Harry kept persisting. In the end, they let him buy a few pairs for them.

Then, a bell chimed. "Time to get into the stadium!" said Mr. Weasley excitedly. "The match is going to begin soon!"

"All right!" said the twins, beaming, and everyone trooped out of the store. "I can't wait to see Ludo Bagman," said Fred. "He'll be in the top box with us, right?"

"Yep," said Mr. Diggory.

"Who's Ludo Bagman?" asked Harry.

"He's the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports," Cedric said. "He'll be commentating the match today."

"That's right," said Charlie. "Are you sitting in the top box with us too, Mr. Diggory?"

"Yes, Cedric and I are joining you all," Mr. Diggory answered.

It took them a little while to get to the stadium, and once they arrived, they had to climb up to the top box. It was a long way up, but everyone admired the view. Once they arrived, they all sat in their seats. Harry sat with Ron on one side and Sirius on the other.

As he looked around, he found that there were plenty of other people sitting in the box with them. Unfortunately, three of these individuals were people he didn't like at all. Sirius noticed these people too, and started scowling. Ron balled his hands into fists and glared at one of them. The person he was glaring at was none other than Draco Malfoy. His mother and father were sitting on either side of him.

Narcissa Malfoy had a sullen look on her face, and she was looking at Hermione as though she were an insect. "Hello, hello, hello," said Lucius Malfoy. "It's the Weasleys. And you, Diggory, is it? And ah ... yes ... Harry Potter, with Sirius Black and Remus Lupin." He made a face at Remus. He of course knew now that Remus was a werewolf; Draco had probably blabbed to him about it. Remus paid him no mind, however, and looked calmly back at the blond-haired man.

"Weasley," said Draco. "And Granger and Potter. And oh, yes, Diggory. Bet Potter still can't get over the fact you beat him last year, right, Potter?"

"That's enough, Malfoy," Harry scowled. He smiled at Cedric, telling him there were no hard feelings. Malfoy just smirked at Harry and sat back in his seat.

More people poured into the stadium. It was amazing how many people were at this game! There seemed to be thousands and thousands of them. Music was playing, and Harry could see the pitch down below. It looked spectacular.

A few minutes later, a man wearing yellow-and-black striped Quidditch robes came bouncing into the box. He looked like a strongly built man who had slightly gone to seed. Also on his robes was a picture of a wasp. "That's Ludo Bagman," Sirius whispered to Harry. "He also used to play for the Wimbourne Wasps many years ago. He was a Beater."

"Hello, everyone!" Bagman chirped. "Ready for the match?"

"You bet," Cedric said.

Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, strutted into the box. His eyes rested upon Harry immediately. "Harry, Harry, Harry!" he boomed, greeting him like an old friend. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, Minister," Harry said timidly. He never really knew how to act in front of such an important person.

"I'd like to introduce you to the Bulgarian and Irish Ministers of Magic," Fudge said, and Harry was made to shake hands with both of them. The Bulgarian Minister acted as though he couldn't understand a word Fudge was saying. So the Minister pointed a finger at Harry's scar, and then the other wizard seemed to understand. "I was never great shakes at languages," Fudge admitted. "It's a great shame what happened to Barty Crouch, a great shame. He could speak in nine different tongues."

"It is a shame," said Percy, vigorously shaking Fudge's hand. "How nice to see you, Minister."

"You as well, you as well," Fudge replied.

Ludo Bagman then whipped out his wand and cried, "Sonorus!" He waited a couple of seconds, and then he started to speak, his voice echoing around the stadium. Everyone quieted down. "Ladies and gentlemen!" he boomed. "Welcome, welcome, welcome, to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!"

The whole crowd began to holler and clap, and thousands of flags waved. National anthems started blaring, and it ended up as a very discordant noise. "And now, allow me to introduce, the Bulgarian team mascots!"

Within seconds, beautiful women came out onto the pitch. But they were more than beautiful, they were magnificent. "These are veela," Sirius whispered, growing excited. Harry started to feel dazed, and Ron jumped out of his seat, as did Sirius. The veela were making them do strange things, like jump up and down and stare at them, transfixed. Cedric seemed to be controlling himself, and Harry was trying his best, but he felt an incredible compulsion to also jump out of his seat along with Ron and Sirius. Remus was also keeping in control. "Sirius, sit down!" the werewolf hissed. Mr. Weasley was saying something similar to Ron. The two finally obeyed once the veela left the pitch. Angry and disappointed shouts filled the stadium; the crowd did not want the veela to disappear.

"And now, allow me to introduce the Irish team mascots!" bellowed Bagman, and leprechauns came out onto the pitch, throwing gold about. The Weasleys caught some, grinning amongst themselves.

"I'm sorry to tell you, Arthur," drawled Lucius Malfoy, "but that's leprechaun gold. It only lasts for about an hour, and then it disappears." Arthur looked disappointed at this revelation. He glowered at the Malfoys, like it was their fault.

Once the leprechauns left, Ludo Bagman shouted, "Now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the BULGARIAN National Quidditch Team! I give you-Dimitrov! Ivanova! Zograf! Levski! Vulchanov! Volkov! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAND-KRUM!"

Roars of approval went up from the Bulgarian supporters. "That's Krum!" Ron screamed as he pointed to the last figure that had come out onto the field. "Look, mate, that's Viktor Krum!"

"Cool!" Harry exclaimed. But the one thing that he noticed straightaway about Krum was the fact that he had a surly expression on his face.

"Now, here come the Irish National Quidditch Team!" Bagman yelled. "I present to you-Connolly! Ryan! Troy! Mullet! Moran! Quigley! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND-LYNCH!"

Seven more figures zoomed out and took their positions on the pitch. Lynch was smaller than the rest of them; he was obviously the Irish team's Seeker. Bagman then introduced the referee, Hassan Mostafa.

"Now, let the game BEGIN!" he roared. The cheering was so loud it almost deafened Harry.

Then the game was on! Harry sped up and slowed down his omnioculars as it progressed. Professional Quidditch was nothing like he'd imagined. The players were so quick, it was unbelievable! The match was also quite dirty, as predicted. The players tried to cheat, resulting in Mostafa blowing the whistle a number of times. Poor Aiden Lynch, the Irish Seeker, fell off his broom twice, because Viktor Krum did what was called a Wronski Feint and caught him off-guard. Ron was screaming himself hoarse, and Cedric was also letting go of his inhibitions and yelling out for his team. Everyone Harry was with was supporting Ireland, although they couldn't help but admire Viktor Krum.

The score now read 160-120, Ireland. "If Krum catches the Snitch now, Bulgaria will win by 110 points!" said Ron angrily. "I want Ireland to win!"

"Calm down, son," said Mr. Weasley. "It's only a game." But Ron didn't look so sure.

"Look, he's going for it!" screamed Hermione. "Krum's seen the Snitch!"

"Dammit!" Ron cursed, for sure enough, Hermione was right. Krum had seen the little golden winged ball, and Lynch was right behind him. But Krum was way too quick for him. Before anyone knew it, he had the Snitch in his hand, and Mostafa blew the whistle.

"BULGARIA WINS!" howled Bagman, and the veela came out onto the pitch and did a little dance. To the others' embarrassment, Ron and Sirius flew out of their seats again, dancing around in place. "SIT DOWN, SIRIUS!" Remus hollered above the noise. Harry couldn't help but laugh at the antics of his best mate and godfather. He didn't really care which team had won; he had just really enjoyed the game.

Once the veela left the pitch, Ron and Sirius came back to their senses. "I can't believe Bulgaria won!" cried Ron furiously. "But I have to say, Viktor Krum's one great player!"

"He should take that God-awful expression off his face though," said Fred. "He doesn't look like he's enjoying himself very much."

"You're right, dear brother," agreed George. "He looks like he's listening to a very boring teacher giving a lecture rather than playing Quidditch!"

The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent having fun and talking about the match. Harry watched it all over again on his omnioculars, and Fred, George, Ron, and Cedric enjoyed rehashing and talking about every move any of the players made. "I hope Lynch's all right," said Cedric. "I don't like to see anyone fall off their broom."

"He'll be fine, son," said Mr. Diggory reassuringly. "The mediwizards have it covered."

When everyone went to bed that night in their tents, they all felt very happy. Sirius and Remus told Harry that they would be going back to Marauder Place first thing in the morning. So Harry got ready for bed and snuggled under his sleeping bag. It was very comfortable.

xxx

It seemed like he'd only been sleeping a very short time, but suddenly he was shaken roughly. "Harry, get up, now!" he heard Sirius say. "Get up, Harry, no playing around. This is an emergency!"

Harry could hear screams in the distance. But they didn't sound like screams of celebration; they sounded like screams of terror. As quickly as he could, he got up and dressed. "Stay with us," Remus said urgently. "We have to see what's going on."

As they looked outside the tent, Harry and his guardians gasped. In the sky, they could see many green skulls with snakes protruding from their mouths. Dangling in the air was the Muggle man who had set up their tent that morning, along with what must be his wife and his two children. They were being dangled upside down by a bunch of hooded men and women who were wearing black robes and white masks. "It's the Death Eaters!" Sirius said in horror.

Then, something happened which Harry was not expecting, and it made him feel sick to his stomach. He knew they had to get out of there. As he watched, he saw one of the Death Eaters point his wand at one of the children and mutter a word. The child fell to the ground, screaming and writhing in agony. The Dark wizard held the curse for a few seconds, and then pointed his wand again, muttering a few more words. A blinding flash of green light burst out of his wand and hit the defenseless Muggle child in the chest. The little girl went limp and still. She didn't move again.

The Death Eater had killed her.


	11. Fear, Worry, and Anger

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Hey to my wonderful reviewers! Thank you so much for the feedback! Yes, you're right, this is taking a much darker turn than in canon.

One of my reviewers commented on the fact that I am making Hermione a Weasley. You're right, but that's how it came off to me in canon as well. I will give you all a spoiler, however, and tell you that later on in the story, Hermione's parents are going to play a big role. When all hell breaks loose with the war, they're going to come into the picture, and big-time. In canon, we know that Hermione memory charmed her parents but we didn't really see much of her relationship with them. JKR never really tuched that issue, and I always wondered about it. Well, that's what fanfic is for, isn't it?

Please enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 11: Fear, Worry, and Anger

More screams and terrified yells echoed around the Quidditch World Cup site. The Death Eaters brutally lowered the three remaining Roberts family members to the ground. The mother and father immediately went to their limp daughter, shaking her. Since they were Muggles, they had no clue what that green spell had done to her. They had horrified tears streaming down their faces, and the Death Eaters were wearing sinister smiles. They just let the parents bend down, shaking their daughter, trying to arouse her from her endless sleep. They screamed and shouted at the Death Eaters, and then they were suddenly dangled up in the air again. Now, the Death Eater who was leading them all cast the killing curse on the other daughter, and she, too, fell to the ground. The scene was absolutely awful. Once the other girl was dead as well, the hooded figures started marching around the campsite, setting tents on fire. The green skulls with the serpents protruding from their mouths were still in the sky, shining grotesquely.

"We have to go, now!" said Remus urgently. "Sirius and I brought an emergency portkey just in case something like this happened. We have to use it!"

"But what about the Weasleys and the Diggorys?" exclaimed Harry. "We can't just leave them here!"

"Don't worry," said Sirius, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder. "They'll be fine. Mr. Weasley and Mr. Diggory told us they brought an emergency portkey too."

"Thank God for that," said Harry.

"Some of them will probably stay to fight though," said Remus. "The older ones, like Charlie and Bill, will probably do it."

"Oh no," said Harry. "We should go and help them!"

"No, you're not," Sirius said firmly. "You're too young. You don't know many spells that will subdue Death Eaters yet. If you fight them, they'll kill you. You know that as well as I do."

Harry looked defeated, but the looks on his guardians' faces convinced him that they were right, no matter how much his heart bled to help the Weasleys and others who were in need. He could see that some people were already coming to the aid of the people whose tents were being set aflame; they were duelling with the Death Eaters. The horrible Death Eaters were not fighting fair; they were casting Unforgivables all over the place, and Harry could see the two poor Muggles, sobbing over their dead children.

"Put your hands on this cup," said Sirius. "It's the portkey. It'll leave as soon as we put all our hands on it."

With one last look at the terrifying scene, Harry reluctantly did as he was told. He felt a tug behind his navel and before he knew it, he was back in the living room of Marauder Place.

"What about our tent?" he asked as soon as he caught his breath.

"I'll go back for it later," Sirius promised. "The most important thing was us getting out. If the tent gets burned, it gets burned. People are the most important."

Harry nodded his head in agreement.

"I think I should go back and help," continued Sirius.

"Padfoot, no," said Remus at once. "I know you want to, but now's not the time. We have Harry to take care of, and he and I don't want you getting hurt."

But Sirius had a determined look on his face. "I swear I saw Bellatrix there," he spat. "She must have apparated in." He had a hungry look in his eyes; all his instincts were telling him to go back and fight, to destroy the evil people that were killing innocents and making human lives hell.

"Sirius, no!" Harry pleaded. He took his godfather's hand and clung onto it. "You and Remus are the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I don't want to lose you. Please, Sirius, don't go!"

Sirius continued to look determined, but Harry kept pleading for him not to go. There was such desperation in Harry's voice that Sirius finally relented. After all, if he died tonight, he didn't know what would happen to Harry. He couldn't stay with Remus alone because of the werewolf laws, and he knew no one else the boy could stay with. Plus, he loved Harry so much that he didn't want to upset him. So he ignored all his instincts telling him to fight, kill, destroy.

Harry looked incredibly relieved. Then he asked, "What was that skull thing with the snake in the sky?"

"That, Harry," Remus explained, "was the Dark Mark, Voldemort's sign. He and his followers used to use it right after they'd killed someone. The most awful thing you could come home to was the Dark Mark hanging over your house. That mark instilled fear in everyone who saw it."

"Yeah," Sirius agreed, his eyes becoming haunted with memories. He'd never forget flying his motorbike to Godric's Hollow and seeing the Dark Mark over James and Lily's beloved home, which was completely destroyed. He'd never forget seeing the body of his best friend and the girl his best friend had loved.

xxx

Harry couldn't sleep that night. His mind was infested with thoughts of those two poor little children being hit with the killing curse, their parents shaking them and screaming, crying, begging them to wake up. Sirius and Remus, who were talking in Sirius's room, were having the same problem.

"Moony, what are we going to do?" Sirius moaned. "It's starting again, isn't it?"

"It is," said Remus, sighing. "I hate to say it, but I'm terrified. How are we going to protect Harry?"

"I don't know," Sirius admitted. "We just have to keep him close by us. We know he'll be protected while he's at Hogwarts; Voldemort won't try anything with Albus Dumbledore there." Anger suddenly lit up Sirius's face. "If he does, I'll kill him myself."

"Don't you think we should tell Harry everything?" Remus asked slowly. "If we don't, it'll blow up in our face one day."

"Do you mean the prophecy?" said Sirius. "I don't know. Dumbledore told us not to tell him yet, he said he's too young. But I think he has the right to know."

"Perhaps we should talk to Albus," Remus said. "I agree with you, Padfoot, but at the same time, I feel horrible telling him that he's got the weight of the entire wizarding and Muggle worlds on his shoulders. That's a big, heavy burden."

"I know," Sirius sighed wearily. "It's not fair on him at all. He should be a carefree teenager, worrying about school and grades and girls. Not about Death Eaters and Voldemort trying to kill him all the time."

They sat in silence, both immersed in their own thoughts and worries. They were so concerned for the boy in the bed across the hall. He was so precious to both of them, how could they take care of him and protect him from this sinister world?

xxx

The next morning, there were circles under all three of the house's occupants' eyes. None of them had slept well the night before. Harry had been thinking about the Weasleys all night, and also wondered how Cedric and his father had fared. He received his answers just after breakfast. Ron Weasley floo-called Harry just as he was going into the living room.

"Ron!" Harry said, relieved to see his best friend's face. "How are you? How's your family?" But he could immediately tell something had happened; Ron had a worried look on his face.

"Everyone's fine, except Charlie," Ron admitted. "He and Bill stayed to fight last night. He got hit pretty badly. He's in St. Mungo's now. The doctors say he'll make it, but he's going to be there for a few days. He was hit with the Cruciatus and also with several other Dark curses that did damage to his body."

"Oh, no!" Harry exclaimed. "I'm so sorry, Ron."

"Well, at least he'll be all right eventually," sighed Ron. "How about you guys?"

"Sirius wanted to go back and fight, but Remus and I begged him not to. He finally agreed, so I was just waiting for news on you."

"We're hanging in there," said Ron. He and Harry talked for a few more minutes, and then Harry decided to call Cedric. Fortunately, he and his father were both fine; they'd gotten out by emergency portkey as well.

Later that morning, Albus Dumbledore flooed into the house. He was carrying the tent which Harry, Sirius, and Remus had used the day before. They were very thankful for it. This now meant that Sirius didn't have to return for it.

Then Dumbledore said, "Sirius, Remus, Harry, we have to talk," with a somber look. Harry immediately grew nervous. His heart began to speed up and his hands went clammy. He didn't like Dumbledore's tone, and he knew it was something serious.

"How are you, Harry?" the old wizard asked. "I'm so sorry about last night. I was at the Cup too. I was one of the people who fought the Death Eaters. I and a few others managed to subdue some of them. Since Azkaban doesn't seem to be safe anymore, we're holding them at the Ministry."

"Bellatrix and Peter?" Sirius asked.

Dumbledore looked at him sadly. "I'm afraid not," he admitted. "They escaped."

"Damn!" Sirius swore, stamping his foot. His face looked furious.

"I know," Dumbledore sighed. "I tried, Sirius. But they were too quick."

"You're supposed to be the most powerful wizard in the world," Sirius muttered.

"Ah, my boy, but I am not infallible," Dumbledore said. "I may be a powerful wizard, but I cannot do everything, and I admit that."

"Was Voldemort there last night too?" Remus asked.

"As a matter of fact, he was," Dumbledore replied. "Barty Crouch Jr. had him. He was another one that escaped. He was carrying Voldemort in his arms the whole time. There were several people who fainted when they saw him."

Harry could definitely understand why they would do so. The image of the deformed Voldemort was so gruesome and twisted. "Several died last night," the old wizard informed them unhappily. "Several Ministry workers fell, and some of them are in St. Mungo's with critical injuries. Some were still alive at arrival but didn't survive the night. At least they passed with their loved ones around them."

"Did you hear about Charlie Weasley?" Harry asked.

"I did. I floo-called the Weasleys this morning to check how he is. You mustn't worry too much about him, Harry, he will be fine. He's one of the more fortunate ones."

Harry nodded. "I know."

"So why the visit, Albus?" inquired Remus. "What's going on?"

"I'm afraid the news will not be pleasing to you," said Dumbledore. "Unfortunately, I am here to talk about Vernon Dursley's trial."

It was a good thing Harry was sitting down, because he felt lightheaded and his knees went weak. It wasn't that he had forgotten about Vernon Dursley, that was far from the truth. He'd continued to have nightmares about the horrible abuse, but since everything had been so busy with Sirius and Remus, what with house-hunting, his birthday, and the Quidditch World Cup, he'd tried not to think about it in his waking hours. But now it all came back to him in one quick burst. He remembered Vernon punching him, swearing at him, kicking him, and killing the first friend he had ever had - it was awful! The last thing he wanted to do was relive the whole experience by speaking at a trial.

Dumbledore saw how distressed the child was, and put a gentle hand on Harry's shoulder. Sirius felt the anger pounding in his veins again, and the fear for Harry. Harry felt shame wash over him; how could he have let Vernon do that to him? What kind of wizard was he, why hadn't his magic saved Hedwig?

"Harry, I am so sorry," Dumbledore said with a sad look at him. "But you must understand, this trial is very important. We want to bring Vernon Dursley to justice, and you must tell your story. I do have to say that your aunt and cousin are shocked by what happened. They had no idea Vernon took it that far."

"But they always hated me," said Harry in a terrified voice. "They never did anything to help me."

"I know," said Dumbledore comfortingly. "But I think after Vernon was arrested, they finally realized what they'd done and they wish to help bring Vernon to justice."

"They want to help?" Sirius scoffed angrily. "It's too damn late for that. The damage has already been done."

"Sirius, calm down," Remus said. "You getting all upset isn't going to help Harry. He needs us to stay calm and get him through this."

Harry was shaking all over. "When is the trial?" he asked. "How long do I have to speak? What kind of questions will I be asked?"

"You'll be asked what happened," Dumbledore replied gently. "I'm not exactly sure when the trial is yet. It will probably be in a few months. We're going to be with you every step of the way, Harry, and I must tell you how completely and utterly sorry I am for putting you in such a horrible situation."

Sirius growled a little and glared at Dumbledore. "But you knew they hated magic!" he stormed, the same as he had last time when discussing this subject with the Headmaster.

"I know, Sirius, but I hoped that they would change their minds once they took Harry in," Dumbledore said solemnly. "I was hoping they'd get past their prejudice and come to love Harry as their own."

"What's done is done, Albus," sighed Remus. "But what we must do now is try to rectify the damage."

"Yes," Dumbledore agreed. "Next week, I am going to introduce you to the prosecutor who will be in charge of Vernon's case. He is a wizard, but he has worked in Muggle law for a while. He also helped fight Voldemort in the last war years ago. He is a very nice man, Harry, and he'll try his best to make you feel comfortable. His name is Kingsley Shacklebolt."

"Yes, I know him," said Sirius. "We used to be old mates. He used to work with me as an Auror in the Ministry years ago. He was one of the people who found me on the street laughing," he added bitterly.

"He always thought things weren't what they seemed, Sirius," Dumbledore told him. "He knew how much you loved James and Lily. But he had to obey the Minister's orders and send you to Azkaban. But of course, he knows you're innocent now. You will get a chance to reacquaint yourselves next week.

"Harry," Dumbledore continued, looking straight at him. Harry looked into the Headmaster's gentle eyes and only saw concern there, no shame or anger. "You mustn't be ashamed of what happened at all. It was not your fault what happened with your Uncle Vernon. It has happened before that wizards have been abused by Muggles, and their magic has not worked to stop it. You mustn't think that you're an incompetent wizard by any stretch of the imagination. All right?"

Harry continued to look at him, tears blurring his vision. His heart was filled with fear about confronting this Kingsley Shacklebolt. Just the name itself sounded intimidating. How was he supposed to tell this man the awful things that had happened to him? Without being able to stop them, the tears began to fall down Harry's face and a choked sob escaped. Dumbledore took the boy into his arms and embraced him, muttering comforting words in his ear. Sirius and Remus also ran to him to comfort him. Harry felt overwhelmed, undeserving of their comfort. But they did not let him go, and he clung to them like they were his lifelines. They all smelled so good, like love and home. Dumbledore also smelled like Hogwarts, and like a loving grandfather. The tears ran thick and fast down Harry's cheeks, and he was sobbing his heart out before he knew it. Sirius tried hard to control the fury he felt at the Dursleys for allowing Harry to feel these horrible feelings.

After a time, Harry's tears slowed, and he lifted his head from Dumbledore's soaked robes. "I'm s-sorry," he mumbled, an embarrassed flush creeping over his face.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, my boy," Dumbledore said softly. "I'm the one who should be sorry."

"It's not your fault," said Harry honestly. "You didn't know that the Dursleys would do that to me. I'm not going to hold it against you."

Dumbledore smiled at him, sadness in his eyes. "Thank you, Harry," he said sincerely. "That means a lot." To make Harry feel better, he made his eyes twinkle down at him gently. "Would you like a lemon drop?" he asked.

Remus laughed. "Do you ever forget those, Albus?" he teased.

"Thank you," said Harry, also managing a weak smile. "I'd love one." Dumbledore reached into his pocket and pulled out a little jar. He unscrewed the lid, took out a lemon drop, and handed it to Harry. The boy popped it in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. "Mmm," he said, grinning. "It's really good."

Dumbledore beamed back at him. "Ah, my favorite sweet of all time," he said fondly. "Muggle candies are my favorite."

The Headmaster stayed a little longer, and then left. Harry felt better after talking with the kindly old man. He was still worried about facing this Kingsley fellow, but Sirius and Remus assured him that he was a great man, and very trustworthy. Any information the three of them told him, he would not repeat it to anybody else.

Harry and Remus had another Occlumency lesson later that day, which ended up exhausting him. He managed to stay awake for the rest of the day, but ended up going to bed very early that evening. He was so tired that no dreams assaulted him that night. The Death Eaters were always on his mind, but he did some deep breathing exercises and some meditation, which Remus had also been teaching him. He felt more relaxed after doing this, and soon fell into a deep sleep. Remus and Sirius did the same, for they were also tired from not sleeping the night before. Whatever would come would come, and they would all face it when it did.


	12. In the Pensieve

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thanks to my oh-so-great reviewers!

Just a few things I wanted to clarify. One of my reviewers pointed out that I wrote in the last chapter that the Death Eaters were wearing sinister smiles. And they also said, how would people know that if they were wearing masks? You are absolutely right, it was an honest mistake on my part, it was a glaring error I overlooked. Just pretend that indeed they were wearing sinister smiles but no one could se them.

On another note, the reason I put Mr. Diggory and Cedric in the top box, and the reason I had Lucius Malfoy taunt the Weasleys about leprechaun gold, well, there's really no reason for it except that I wanted to write it that way. Also, Harry and Cedric are going to be extremely close in this fic.

Please enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 12: In the Pensieve

True to Dumbledore's words, a week later, there was a knock on the door of Marauder Place. When Sirius opened it, he was greeted by a face he hadn't seen in years. It brought a lot of memories to the surface.

"Sirius Black," a deep voice said. A big black man was standing in the doorway. He was well-built and very tall. His hair was in braids, and he wore a pleasant smile on his face.

"Kingsley Shacklebolt," Sirius answered, a smile of his own coming to his face. "Good to see you again, mate."

"You, too," said Kingsley. "It's been a long, long time."

"Yes, it has," agreed Sirius, trying not to think of the circumstances in which their last meeting had occurred. Kingsley was also trying not to remember that day.

"How have you been?" Sirius asked the other man.

"Good, good," said Kingsley. "I'm still working as an Auror, but do Muggle law on the side."

"I bet you're as good an Auror as ever," said Sirius.

Kingsley chuckled. "I don't know about that," he said modestly. "But what I do know is that you definitely were one of the best when you were working for us."

"Thanks," smiled Sirius. "Let's go into the living room. I'm sure you'd like to see Remus."

"Yes, I would. Where's Harry?"

"He's in his room, reading a book. I'll call him in to see us once we've discussed some things. I have to tell you, he's pretty nervous about meeting you."

"I can imagine," Kingsley said sympathetically. "This isn't going to be easy for him. But I'll try and make it as smooth of a ride as possible."

They walked into the living room, and Remus and Kingsley made their introductions. All three of them sat down on the couch. "Now," said Kingsley, "I must explain to you what's going to happen at this trial. You're aware of how court works, right?"

"Yes," said Sirius, not being able to help a scowl from appearing on his face. He didn't know how many times he'd wished to have his own trial.

Kingsley noticed the scowl. "I'm sorry, Sirius," he said sincerely. "I never understood what happened that day. But all the evidence was against you. I had to put personal feelings aside and obey the Minister's orders."

"I know," Sirius sighed. "I just wish that things could have been different. But at least I'm out of there now. And I'm now all registered as an Animagus, too. That was one of the first things Dumbledore and I did my first real week back in civilization."

"Yes, I heard all about your Animagus expeditions," said Kingsley. "Although it was against the law, I must admire you for your loyalty to Remus and your cleverness. That's a rare thing, to be able to transform at sixteen years old."

Sirius blushed. "Thanks."

"As I was saying," Kingsley continued, "I'll explain how this is going to work. I am the prosecutor for Vernon Dursley's case. What I am going to do is ask questions, and Harry will answer them. The tricky part will be the cross-examination. Harry will be questioned by Vernon Dursley's lawyer, whose name is Mr. Epinski. Harry will need to prepare himself to answer some very difficult questions."

"We're aware that some of the questions will be hard," Remus said.

"I would advise giving him a calming potion before he goes on the witness stand," Kingsley informed them. "It's important that he keeps his head. We want to get Vernon arrested for many years for this crime."

"Should we go get Harry?" inquired Remus.

"Yes, send him in now."

A minute later, a nervous-looking Harry walked into the room. "Hi," he said quietly, looking at the big black Auror. Harry had been right about being intimidated by this man; he did not look like the type of fellow you wanted to cross. But he had a smile on his face, and this did put Harry at ease a little.

"Good morning. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Potter," Kingsley said formally, shaking Harry's hand.

Kingsley then walked Harry through exactly what was going to happen in court. Harry listened with rapt attention, taking everything in. His mouth went dry when Kingsley mentioned the fact that he'd have to answer some difficult questions, and would probably get mind-probed to death by the cross-examiner. The three adults tried to allay his fears, and Kingsley talked in a slow, gentle voice. As the talk went on, Harry began to feel more reassured in Kingsley's presence. Something in his mannerisms told him that he could be trusted.

"Do you have any questions?" the big Auror asked when he was finished.

"Yeah," Harry said. "Will Vernon go to Azkaban if he's found guilty?"

"We're trying to work the wards out in Azkaban at this time," Kingsley answered. "Ever since those Death Eaters escaped, it hasn't been safe. If there's such a spell that can subdue the dementors so easily, we don't want other people using it and escaping. So if the wards are worked out, yes, he will go to Azkaban. But if they're not, we will hold him in a secure location at the Ministry."

"Oh, okay," said Harry. He was trying to think about Dumbledore's words, the words he had spoken about how he should not be ashamed of what happened. He was glad to see something finally happening to Vernon Dursley, but at the same time, he was terrified. What if Vernon found some way to get out of the Ministry and tried to find him?

"I'm glad he'll be put away," Sirius snarled, hands balled into fists. "If he ever comes near my godson again, I swear I really will murder him. I hope the wards on Azkaban are sorted out by then; he deserves that hell."

"We're going to make sure he doesn't come after Harry again. In my opinion, he deserves Azkaban too," growled Kingsley.

The four of them then had some hot chocolate and some brownies which Remus had made. Kingsley and Sirius started discussing Auror business. "Do you think you'll ever work as an Auror again?" Kingsley wanted to know. "As I said before, you were one of our best. The Auror department really needs someone with your skills."

"I appreciate that," said Sirius. "I might. But I'll have to go through some rehabilitation training, won't I? I mean, I was in Azkaban for twelve years."

"You may have to do some," Kingsley admitted. "But it probably won't take as long as the first time you trained."

"I'm really not sure," said Sirius. "I mean, I might do some side stuff if I feel like it. It looks like the Order of the Phoenix might be in session again soon with these foul Death Eaters on the loose. I definitely want to be a part of that. I don't know if I want to be a full-fledged Auror though. It brings back too many memories."

"I know, it reminds you of James, doesn't it?" asked Kingsley consolingly.

"Yeah," said Sirius. "James and I seemed to work together for so long. We went through the training together, we went on missions together. There's not a day that goes by that I don't miss him. And it's my fault he's dead."

"No, it's not," said Remus at once. "Sirius, I wish you'd stop beating yourself up about that. We all trusted Peter. We had no reason at all to suspect that something shady was going on with him."

"Yeah, but I should've known," muttered Sirius despondently.

"There's no point in looking back on could-haves and should-haves," said Kingsley. "I miss James too; he was one great Auror as well. But I'm sorry I didn't believe in you, Sirius. I knew how much you loved him, Lily, and Harry."

"I accept your apology," Sirius sighed.

Kingsley stayed for a little while longer, and he told stories to Harry of his Auror days working with James and Sirius. Harry listened, interested.

"Your dad was one wonderful man," Kingsley told him. "He never killed any Death Eaters if he had anything to say about it. He was a firm believer of two wrongs not making a right. Unfortunately, though, in times of war, those lines blur, but your father never changed his views."

"Yeah, I remember when he accidentally did kill one," Sirius reminisced. He remembered when James had been younger, when he'd believed so wholeheartedly in revenge, but the whole episode with Snape and the Shrieking Shack had humbled him beyond belief. "He didn't mean to, he was just defending himself. He'd tried to disarm him a number of times, but the Death Eater was too quick. James lost his temper and cast a very powerful Reductor curse. I remember his name: Booth. Dennis Booth. He went to Hogwarts with us, and was a Slytherin. I can't ever forget the scene after the battle was over.

"James went over to where Booth lay dying, and started talking to him. I tried to get James to come with me, but he wouldn't move. I remember I got a little beat up in that battle, too. I had some cuts and bruises, but they weren't that serious. But I tried to get James to leave Booth to die, but he was a better person than I am. He actually had a civilized talk with him.

"He told me later what their conversation had been about. Booth asked if he'd come over to gloat, and James said no. He had asked Booth if it was worth it, whether fighting on Voldemort's side was worth all the bloodshed and warfare. Booth had never really been a leader, he was a follower like my brother Regulus. He admitted to James that no, it hadn't been worth it, and if he'd been a better person he might have been able to stand up to his peers and family and say no to the Death Eaters. Booth told James he was scared to die, and James said he'd stay with him. He actually stayed and held his hand, telling him not to be afraid and how he was sorry he'd acted like a total arrogant sonuvabitch in school. I think it's absurd, but James actually blamed himself for Booth becoming a Death Eater. He said if he hadn't been a total bully at school, Booth might not have turned to the only solace he could find: his Slytherin peers. Booth tried to tell him it wasn't his fault, that he'd been pressured by his family and peers to take the Mark. James begged Booth to hold on, that Dumbledore could help him, he could hide him from Voldemort's wrath. But Booth said it was too late, and with that, he was gone. James actually wept over his dead body; Albus Dumbledore was the one who found him. James was broken up about it for weeks; he actually went into sort of a depression. It took Peter, Lily, Remus and I to bring him out of it."

"Was I born yet?" asked Harry.

"No," said Kingsley. "You were on the way, though. Lily was about five months pregnant with you at the time."

"It sounded like my dad was a really good person."

"He was, lad," Kingsley said proudly. "He and your godfather here worked wonderfully together."

"It's amazing how compassionate your dad was," said Sirius. "Believe me, I was upset when Regulus died, but I've always felt guilty that I was never as upset as I should have been. My family and I had all those differences, and I tried my absolute best to get away from them and leave any remnants of that life behind. But Regulus was my brother, and there was a time, when we were very little, that we did get along."

"Yeah, I can imagine his death was hard," said Harry.

"Sirius often resorted to firewhiskey when he was upset," Kingsley interjected.

"Yeah, it took us Marauders and Lily to get him to put it down," said Remus.

"That's a bad habit," Harry said, and he couldn't help thinking of his uncle. "You'd best not do that anymore, Sirius."

"I know, kiddo," said Sirius, blushing.

After a little more time, Kingsley left, and Harry, Remus, and Sirius made and then ate lunch. Once they'd eaten a delicious meal, Harry said, "If you two don't mind, I'd like to have a look in the Pensieve."

"Sure!" Sirius grinned. "Do you mind if we come in with you? We love reminiscing over old memories."

"Of course you can come," said Harry, and they went into his room. The Pensieve was sitting on his desk. Taking a deep breath, the two Marauders and their pup plunged their hands into the memories. They were falling, falling, falling through mist and fog...'and then they landed.

"Let's see two today," said Harry. "Do you know what order they go in?"

"They'll be all mixed up," replied Remus. "But once you've seen all of them, you'll have witnessed a collaboration of events that happened throughout our seven years of Hogwarts, and then some of after school."

They watched as a scene unfolded around them. They were standing by the Hogwarts lake. As Harry looked around, he could see many students enjoying themselves in the water, or doing homework by the trees.

"Ah, we were here a lot," Sirius said with a toothy grin. "Let's see when this was. Look under the big beech tree, Harry."

Harry looked, and he saw four boys. One had messy black hair and was wearing glasses, one was plump with watery blue eyes, one was black-haired and extremely handsome, and one was brown-haired and looked exhausted. They were the younger versions of James, Peter, Sirius, and Remus respectively. The three observers walked nearer to the scene, and then they were able to understand the conversation the Marauders were having.

"So, boys," said the plump boy, Peter. "Are we on for this evening? We can go annoy the house-elves in the kitchens again."

"Yeah!" said Sirius. "Good idea, Petey!"

"You two always want to go to the kitchens!" whined James. "How about we do something else?"

"Ah, but Jamesy, my friend, don't you want to fill up that stomach of yours?" laughed Sirius.

"Yeah, sure, but why don't we do something else afterwards?"

"What do you suggest, old boy?" said Sirius playfully.

"How about," smiled Remus, "we go scout out that secret passageway we found the other day."

"Are you sure you're up for it, Rem?" asked Sirius. "We know full moon was last night and you look pretty knackered."

"Oh, don't worry about me," said Remus. "If we're going to make mischief, I want to be a part of it!"

"Okay, kitchens and then secret passageway it is," James beamed.

"Hey, James, look over there!" Peter exclaimed after a few moments of comfortable silence.

"What is it, Pete?"

"Evans is over there! Look! Why don't you go ask her to Hogsmeade this weekend?"

James immediately got to his feet and strutted over to where Lily and a few of her girlfriends were standing. "Hey, Evans!" he shouted. "Evans!"

The pretty red-haired girl looked at him. "What is it, Potter?" she said in a bored voice, as if she'd been through this with him many, many times before.

"I was thinking," said James with his most cocky grin, "that you could come to Hogsmeade with me this weekend. We'll have a great time!" Lily's face suddenly turned as red as a tomato. Her hands went to her hips and she looked as though she were about to explode.

"HOW DARE YOU, JAMES POTTER!" she screamed. "HOW DARE YOU TELL ME TO GO TO HOGSMEADE WITH YOU! WHATEVER HAPPENED TO ASKING?"

James looked at her with an I-don't-know-what-I-did-wrong look. "Um," he said, "Are you okay Evans?"

"NO, I'M NOT!" she shouted. "BUT I WILL BE WHEN YOU GO AWAY!"

"I guess that's a no, then?" James smirked.

"DAMN RIGHT IT IS!" yelled Lily, drawing her wand.

"All right, all right, no need to hex me," said James, looking at her with admiration. He walked back over to his friends.

"Any luck, mate?" Sirius asked. "I'm guessing your answer's no, since I could hear her screaming at you from a mile away."

"Yeah, she's got some temper," James grinned. "That's why I love her, though."

The memory faded, and Sirius and Remus looked at Harry for his reaction. "Wow," Harry said simply. "She really didn't like him very much, did she?"

"Nope," Sirius chortled. "But your dad didn't have much of a style with girls at that point in time. That was in our third year."

Another scene began to take shape around them. This time they were in the boys' dormitory. Remus was sitting on his bed, and he seemed to be deep in thought.

Suddenly, the younger James, Sirius, and Peter walked into the room. "Colloportus!" James said, securing the door with a locking spell. "Remus, mate, we need to talk," he said seriously.

"Ah, I know when this was," said the present-day Sirius from beside Harry. "This was in our second year."

"What's the problem, guys?" the younger Remus asked.

"We don't know how to say this to you, Rem," Peter said, "but we might as well just go ahead and say it. We know what you are. We know you're a werewolf and that you transform every full moon."

"James and I worked it out, and then let Peter in on it," said Sirius.

Remus's face went white. He got to his feet and was looking like he was about to unlock the door.

"Mate, where are you going?" James asked, concerned.

"I'm leaving," Remus said flatly. "You know what I am now, so I guess you don't want to stay with me anymore."

"WHAT!" exclaimed Sirius. "Remus John Lupin, you're staying right here! Don't move a muscle!"

Remus began to shake. "Look, I know what you think of me," he cried. "Just let me go. I'm sorry you had to share a room with a monster."

The three other Marauders rushed over to Remus. "Remmy, mate, listen to us," James said. "You've got it totally wrong. We don't care that you're a werewolf."

"Wh-what?" Remus said, utterly shocked.

"We don't care," Sirius told him firmly. "It doesn't matter to us."

"Because after all," Peter said, "you're still Remus. You're still the same person you were yesterday, before we knew for sure."

"But surely ..." Remus gasped. "Guys, you know what a werewolf is, don't you? I'm a bloodthirsty monster once a month! I could kill any one of you!"

"But we know Dumbledore's set up precautions," James told him. "We figured it out. You go to the Shrieking Shack, don't you? The place isn't haunted after all. That's you."

Remus looked even more shocked. "How did you ..."

Sirius rummaged around in his trunk and took out a piece of paper. "This," he said, showing it to Remus. "This is a lunar chart that James and I made. We noticed you were always away on full moon, and you always came back looking exhausted. And we always saw articles in the Daily Prophet about the strange noises in the Shrieking Shack the day after full moon."

"Wow," said Remus. "I don't believe it!"

"Mate, why didn't you tell us?" James asked gently. "We're all friends here, we wouldn't have abandoned you over this. Friendship is unconditional. That's something my mum always says."

Remus looked overwhelmed. "I was bitten when I was five," he explained. "And whenever anyone found out what I was, they didn't want to be friends with me anymore. I figured that at Hogwarts, I'd have no friends either. I'm a monster, I don't deserve any."

The three others looked appalled. "Nonsense!" Sirius cried. "Of course you deserve friends! Everyone does. And all the people who abandoned you are just stupid. We're not like that."

"And you're not a monster," said James, making direct eye contact with Remus. "Just because you're not yourself once a month, that doesn't make you a monster. It's out of your control."

"We want to help," said Sirius. "To try and make this better for you."

"Thank you," Remus said, looking choked up. "But there's no way you can."

"Wanna bet?" said James. "Where there's a will, there's a way. We'll find something, won't we, Pete, Siri?"

"Yeah," chimed Sirius and Peter.

Remus suddenly burst into tears. He looked so moved that three people were willing to stay friends with him even after this revelation. Harry was surprised that his guardians were willing to share such a highly emotional moment, but they were both smiling, which meant they were totally comfortable with it.

"Oh, don't cry, Rem," said James softly. He went over to his friend and embraced him, and Sirius and Peter joined in. It was the sweetest group hug ever; they all clung to each other as Remus sobbed his heart out.

When his tears slowed, he looked at his friends and said, "Y-you guys truly don't know what this means to me. I've never had real friends before."

"Well, you do now," Sirius grinned.

"And we'll always be friends," said James. "Let's make a pact, boys. Let's say we'll never stop being friends. We'll stay together through thick and thin, trust each other, never betray each other, and never keep secrets from each other." He put his hand on his bed, which was very near to where the four were standing. Sirius laid his hand on top of James's, and then Remus did the same, with Peter following.

"Friends forever," James said.

"Friends forever," Sirius beamed.

"Forever," Remus agreed.

"Forever," Peter chimed.

They held their hands in place for a moment, and then lifted them. "Anyone wanna play a game of Exploding Snap?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah, why not?" James said, and the scene began to fade around them.

"How do we go back?" said Harry.

"Just lift your wand hand and say "out,"" Remus told him.

So all three did, and they were rising, rising, rising...''and then they found themselves back in Harry's bedroom. "Wow," Harry exclaimed. "Sounds like you four were really, really close."

"We were," said Remus, his eyes shining. It made him feel those emotions all over again, going back into that moment and seeing the reactions of his friends to his lycanthropy. He'd never trade all those good years for anything.

xxx

As Harry went to bed that night, he thought about his own friends. Ron and Hermione had been with him through everything too, through all the regular routines of Hogwarts. They'd stayed loyal to him through every Voldemort experience he'd had, and they'd gone into danger together. Ginny had just become a recent friend of his, and they found they'd shared a deep connection because they'd both been terribly hurt before. Harry sincerely hoped that he, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny would always stay friends, that they wouldn't fall apart like the Marauders had, suspecting each other of betrayal and arguing amongst themselves. He knew that the strain of things like war could do that to people, and hoped that he and his friends were strong enough to survive it all with their friendship still intact.

He then thought about his guardians, how Sirius and remus were doing everything to help him through the trials and tribulations that were thrown his way. He knew that seeing his uncle again would be terribly difficult, but he knew deep down that he could get through anything with those two by his side. They were the most loyal people you could ever meet, and Harry was lucky to have them. With these happy thoughts in mind, he fell into a relaxing sleep with no nightmares.


	13. Back to School

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thanks for the wonderful feedback! I'm so happy you're all still enjoying the story!

Chapter 13: Back to School

It was almost the end of the summer, and Harry, Remus, and Sirius woke up on a fine sunny August morning. This was the day they'd all been waiting for, the day they'd get to move into their new house, 804 Lawdershod Avenue, Hogsmeade. Stan Shunpike and Ernie Prang of the Knight Bus helped move all of their belongings to the new house. The three residents had gone furniture shopping earlier in the week, and they'd found tables, chairs, and beds to go in the house. The next couple of days were spent moving all their stuff, and they loved the new house. It was the most comfortable Harry had ever been, and he adored his room, which was situated right next to the bathroom. Remus's room was also right next to his, and Sirius's room was on the other side of the bathroom.

On the very last night before Harry was to go back to Hogwarts, he and his two guardians were sitting in the family room on a couch they had picked out. Harry was a little nervous about going back to school after the events of the summer. He was still having nightmares about the Dursleys, and was scared that he'd get found out. He knew he wasn't able to do magic outside of school, but had spent ages looking in his spellbooks about Silencing Charms. He had figured out the incantation and wand movements, and hoped he'd get it right when he tried it at Hogwarts. If he woke up Ron, Seamus, Dean, and Neville with his nightmares, they'd surely start asking questions, and that was the last thing he wanted. He also felt sorry to leave his guardians behind after they'd just started developing such a wonderful relationship.

"Hey, kiddo," Sirius said, recognizing the look on Harry's face as the boy looked at him and Remus. "I know you have mixed feelings about going back to Hogwarts, don't you?"

Harry had had no idea he was so transparent. He felt like asking Sirius what he was talking about, but knew better than to lie to him. Remus was also very good at sensing emotions. "Yeah," he admitted.

"Listen," said Remus. "We need to talk to you about that. You're going to be seeing Sirius and I more than you think you will. You won't have to wait to see us until Christmas."

"Really?" said Harry, surprised. "When will I be seeing you, then?"

"We know you might be uncomfortable with this," answered Remus, "but Professor Dumbledore, Sirius, and I have talked, and we feel it would be prudent for you to start talking to us about your treatment at the Dursleys. We don't want you to bottle up all those feelings inside yourself, and we know you've been trying to hide them. Once a week, I will be coming to Hogwarts to have therapy sessions with you. During the twelve years Sirius was in Azkaban, the only job I could really get was in the Muggle world, since they don't believe that my condition exists except in fairy tales. I got a job working as a therapist, and it did me well for those years. ON some of the sessions, I will be bringing Sirius with me, so you'll get to see him, too."

Harry's face fell. He was glad he was going to be seeing his guardians, but the very last thing he wanted to do was burden them with his treatment by the Dursleys. He didn't want to talk about how he'd been made to live in a cupboard for eleven years, how he'd been called a freak all his life, how he had to sit in his cupboard while hearing them exclaim over their sweet little Diddydums, being treated like a punching bag by Dudley, and all the rest of it. Recognizing the terrified look, Remus and Sirius put their arms around him and let him lean on them. "We know you don't want to, pup," Sirius said soothingly. "But it'll be better for you in the long run. Remus will also be giving another person therapy, and she told him it's okay that you know who it is, because you already know her situation."

"Ginny?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Remus said. "I will be seeing her separately, but eventually, you can see me together if you want. Molly Weasley spoke with Albus and specifically asked her for someone to help Ginny, and he recommended me."

"Oh, okay," said Harry, squirming in his seat.

"It'll be fine, Harry, please don't worry about this," Remus calmed him. "We want you to know that we'll listen to everything you have to say. You're not a burden on us; everything your relatives told you is a lie. Your parents would be so proud of you, you're a wonderful young man. We don't want you to think badly of yourself, and hopefully these sessions will help you to see that."

Harry felt those dreaded tears coming to his eyes again. He tried desperately not to let them fall, but his stupid tear ducts wouldn't listen. They started to fall anyway, and his guardians hugged him comfortingly, whispering soothing words in his ear. They continued to hug him until his crying finally subsided.

The three then spent the rest of the evening talking about Hogwarts. Harry remembered what Charlie had let slip at the Quidditch World Cup about the fact that something big would be happening this year. He needled his guardians about it, but they just smiled mischievously and refused to tell him what was happening. "Ah, you'll see," they kept saying.

Harry went to bed early that night, but he had a few nightmares. The charm was still on his room that let Sirius and Remus know what was going on with him, and they spent a little time reassuring him that everything would be okay. They knew that the talk of these therapy sessions had shaken him up pretty badly, but knew that if he bottled up all these feelings, they would finally explode out of him and the results wouldn't be good. He finally went back to sleep at around three in the morning. He kept apologizing profusely for interrupting his guardians' night, but they told him not to be silly and that they were always there for him whenever he needed them.

When he woke up a few hours later, the house was filled with the bustle of getting ready for Hogwarts. Remus and Sirius made him eat a hearty breakfast, and then they took the Knight Bus to Kings' Cross station. "We knew you'd want to take the train, even though we live so close to Hogwarts," Sirius said. "Taking the train's always the best part."

Harry grinned. "Thanks," he said.

"We'll say goodbye to you at Platform nine and three-quarters," Remus informed him when they arrived.

"And I've got a little trick up my sleeve as the train leaves," Sirius grinned.

Remus gave him a good-natured glare. "Oh, Padfoot, I think I know what you're going to do," he laughed. Harry wondered just what his godfather's antics would be.

As Harry walked towards the barrier, the thought of Hedwig entered his mind. He hadn't gotten a new owl, for he hadn't felt ready to yet. He had told Ginny to let the others know that Hedwig had become ill and not survived the experience, and he knew she'd do it convincingly. Eventually, he would tell them what really happened, but at this point in time, the memory was too vivid and horrible to even relive.

They all went through the barrier, and Harry immediately spotted the Weasleys standing there with Hermione. Fred and George had caught up with their friend, Lee Jordan, and the three of them were all laughing about something. Hellos were exchanged between all of them, and Hermione hugged Harry tightly, saying how good it was to see him. He got his trunk into a compartment, and then he went to stand out on the platform again to say goodbye to his guardians.

Sirius ruffled Harry's hair affectionately, causing Harry to mock-scowl at him. As he hugged his beloved godson, he took something out of his pocket and handed it to him. "I want you to use this whenever you need me," he said. "This is a two-way mirror."

"What does it do?" Harry asked.

"James and I used to use them when we were in separate detentions," Sirius replied. "I always try to have the other one with me. If you ever need to talk to me, just hold the mirror and say my name. Then my face should show up, and we will then be able to hear what each other is saying."

"Oh, cool!" Harry exclaimed.

"And you'll be able to speak to Remus, too, if he is where I am when you call," Sirius told him. "I hope you have a wonderful time at school. Owl me tonight after the feast, okay? Use one of the school owls. We want to know that you got there safely."

"Okay," Harry said, his heart constricting again at the thought of Hedwig. He then realized this was the first time he'd ever felt a little regretful about leaving his guardians. He had a real family now, and he wouldn't be surprised if he missed them a lot while he was at Hogwarts. Having anyone who cared for him like this was foreign to him. He knew the Weasleys cared, but they had such a big family already that they couldn't possibly have taken him in as well.

"Bye, cub," Remus said, pulling Harry into a hug. "I'll see you next week, okay? Sirius and I will call you on the mirror to let you know where to meet me, and what time."

"Okay," said Harry, the embrace making his emotions run wild again. He then hugged both of them together, and then Mrs. Weasley gave him her usual motherly hug. "Have a wonderful year, dear," she said. "Look after my children for me."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Weasley. I will," Harry promised.

"And take care of my Ginny," she whispered in his ear. "You two need each other."

"I'll never let her get hurt again," Harry reassured her.

"Thank you, dear," she said, her voice choked. She squeezed him tightly.

"Come on, mate, the train's about to leave," said Ron.

"All right," said Harry as the whistle blew. He jumped onto the train, and then he saw Sirius turn into the big, shaggy black dog. As everyone looked on, the dog chased the train as it moved away from the station. Harry, Ron, and Ginny burst out laughing. Hermione tried her best not to laugh too, but lost the battle and a giggle escaped her lips. Remus and the remaining Weasleys waved as Sirius barked and continued to chase the train until it moved around the corner. Then he disappeared, and Harry sat back in his seat, his heart filled with gratitude for his guardians' caring.

They sat in silence for a minute, and then Ron began to speak.

"You won't believe what happened this morning," he exclaimed. "While we were eating breakfast, Mr. Diggory and Dad started talking through the fire. They were talking about Mad-Eye Moody."

"Mad-Eye Moody?" Harry asked. "You mean, the guy who Sirius mentioned the night we first met him?"

"Yeah, that's the one," said Ron. "He's a bit loony these days. He was one of the best Aurors during the First War, you know. He caught a lot of Death Eaters and shut them up in Azkaban. Saved the other Aurors a lot of work, and saved a lot of lives."

"Why is he loony these days?" Harry asked, interested.

"He's really paranoid, and always thinks someone's trying to break into his house," piped up Ginny. "Last night, he heard noises and thought an impostor was breaking in. So he set these Muggle dustbins on him. They started magically clattering and emptying rubbish out onto the street."

"It was a false alarm," Hermione interjected.

"Now he's in trouble with the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts." Ginny said. "Dad said he was supposed to start a new job today. He's still going to, but he had to sort this all out first. So Dad had to go to work early."

"Wow," said Harry. "So he thinks everyone's out to kill him?"

"Well, being in a war can make people paranoid like that," explained Hermione. "Many people call it PTSD, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. I read about it."

"Of course you did, 'Mione," said Ron, and she glared at him.

"So what job was Mad-Eye supposed to be starting?" asked Harry.

"Dunno," said Ron. "It'll probably be in the Prophet sometime, though."

Harry then saw a cage, with something lying on top of it. He hadn't really paid attention to the cage before. He saw an owl skittering around in it, and it seemed to be a very excitable creature. "Hey, Ron, is that your owl?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Ron. "I bought him several weeks ago. I've wanted an owl for ages, and I had just enough money. Ginny named him. He's called Pigwidgeon. Really dumb name, if you ask me."

"Shut up, Ron," scowled Ginny. "It's not stupid, it's cute."

"Oh yeah? Having an owl called Pig? You can't tell me you don't think that's dumb!"

"Will you two stop bickering?" said Hermione crossly.

"Yes, ma'am," said Ron, earning another glare from the bushy-haired girl.

"Hey, what's that on top of the cage?" Harry asked. It looked a little like a dress; it was frilly and lacy.

Ron immediately scowled and glared at the thing. "Dress robes," he mumbled.

"What was that, Ron?"

"Dress robes," Ron snarled. "Mum wouldn't even cut off the lace. I told her I was absolutely not going to wear them for whatever this occasion is that's supposed to happen sometime this year. She said I could go naked in that case, and to let you get a picture. Fred and George were in the room when she said that, and they've been teasing me mercilessly ever since."

"Hey, I'll let you wear mine," Harry reassured him, "or I can cut off the lace for you. Sirius, Remus, and I went shopping for some the other day."

"Thanks, mate. Why is everything I own rubbish?" said Ron, continuing to look sullen.

The lady with the snack trolley came by, and Harry bought him, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione some of everything. The two Weasleys were reluctant to accept, but Harry insisted upon it. They sat there, eating snacks and having a conversation about Moody and then about the Quidditch World Cup.

When there was a lull in the conversation, Harry heard a familiar drawling voice coming from the compartment right next to theirs. He put a finger to his lips to let everyone else know to listen.

"... my father wanted me to go to Durmstrang, you know. That school teaches all about the Dark Arts, it doesn't teach all this defense rubbish Hogwarts does. But Mother didn't want me to be so far away, so Father finally relented and said I had to go to Hogwarts. But I wish I was at Durmstrang; Father knows the Headmaster. His name's Igor Karkaroff, and he doesn't admit mudbloods into his school, unlike that barmy old codger Dumbledore. That kind of riffraff doesn't go anywhere near Karkaroff."

Hermione tiptoed to the compartment door and shut it, blocking out Malfoy's irritable voice. "Well, he wants to go to Durmstrang, does he?" she said angrily. "Well, I wish he did, that way we wouldn't have to put up with him!"

"There are other wizarding schools?" Harry asked. He wanted to hit himself for not realizing that Hogwarts wasn't the only school for magic in the whole world.

"Yes," said Hermione promptly. "There's Beauxbatons, in France, and then there's Durmstrang."

"Where is Durmstrang?" asked Harry.

"Nobody knows," replied Ron. "It's hidden very well. Obviously the founders wanted it to be a secret."

"Oh, that's interesting," said Harry.

"Yeah," agreed Ginny. "But we think it's somewhere in the far north."

"Yes, because they have fur capes as part of their uniforms," explained Hermione.

As the afternoon progressed, other friends came in to look on them. Cedric Diggory came and said a friendly hello, along with a pretty Ravenclaw, Cho Chang. Harry had had a crush on her in the past, but noticed it had seemed to go away. He did want to get to know her, but didn't feel that swooping sensation in his stomach anymore when he saw her. Cedric and Cho had apparently met at the World Cup, and had become friends.

Later on, Neville Longbottom came to sit with them. "Hey, Nev, did you go to the World Cup?" asked Harry.

"Nah," said Neville, looking upset. "Gran wouldn't let me. Said it was too rowdy and too expensive. Tell me all about it."

So they all launched into a discussion about how good it was, the good part being the match. None of them wanted to talk about the fiasco afterwards. "We got to sit in the Top Box!" exclaimed Ron excitedly.

"For the first and last time in your life, Weasley!"

The compartment door had slid open again, and Draco Malfoy stood in the doorway, along with his two goons, Crabbe and Goyle.

"And was your daddy one of those masked men who ruined it, Malfoy?" said Ron viciously. "Did he have fun killing innocent children, huh?"

Malfoy glared at him. "Shut up, weasel," he snarled. "Oh, and Potter, you do pick a sorry lot of folks to hang around with, don't you? A man who spent twelve years in Azkaban and a werewolf, along with a horrible excuse for a Longbottom, two weasels, and a filthy little mudblood."

Harry and Ron jumped out of their seats, raising their wands. Neville's face had gone white, and Ginny looked very angry. "Don't, please, Harry, Ron, don't!" Hermione said desperately. "He's not worth it!"

"I'm not worth it, you disgusting little mudbl-"

"SHUT UP!" Ron snarled. "Don't call her that!"

"It doesn't matter, Ron, it's just a word! Lower your wand, please!" Hermione yelled.

Harry was the first to lower his wand, because he saw the look in Hermione's eyes. It took longer for Ron to do so, and he looked as though he wanted nothing better than to punch Malfoy in his horrible, sneering face.

"Oh, and what's THIS?" drawled Malfoy, pulling Ron's dress robes off Pigwidgeon's cage. He started to laugh uproariously, with Crabbe and Goyle following suit. "Oh, Weasley, this is too good to be true! Dress robes, and look at the state of them!" he sneered. He was now laughing really hard, and Ron tried to snatch them back from the blond. "Ah, you spent so much money on the World Cup and that ridiculous excuse for an owl you've got that you couldn't afford anything else, could you?" Malfoy continued to chuckle.

"Would you shut the fuck up, Malfoy!" Ron roared angrily.

"My, my, my," Malfoy chortled. "Language, Weasley. What would your mother say if she heard you speaking like that?"

"And what about YOUR mother, Malfoy?" Ginny said bravely, standing up as well. "Does she support what your father did at the cup?"

"You have no proof, Weaslette," Malfoy yelled. "Don't you dare accuse my father of anything without proof!"

Ron, Ginny, and Harry just glowered at him, all three believing very firmly that his father was involved in the killing of those two innocent children and the burning of tents at the World Cup.

"So," said Malfoy suddenly, "going to enter, Weasley? Going to bring your family of low-life scum some fortune? Believe me, you'd be able to afford some decent robes if you won."

"Excuse me, but what the fuck are you talking about?" Ron shouted. "Ronald!" Hermione chastised, "language, please! Stop swearing!"

"Ah," said Malfoy, a horrible smirk plastered across his face. "What about you, Potter? You never miss a chance to show off, do you? Strutting around the school like you own the place. I know you're going to enter, I shouldn't even ask."

"Tell us what you're talking about or go away, Malfoy," snapped Hermione.

"I won't take orders from you, Granger," sneered Malfoy. He looked at everyone's faces and burst out into peals of laughter again. "You don't know about it, do you, Weasley?" he drawled viciously. "MY father told me about it ages ago. After all, he's always associated himself with the top people at the Ministry. Your father's so low-down that it's probably not even talked about in front of him. Ah yes. That's probably it." Still laughing derisively, he flung Ron's dress robes back on Pig's cage, and he, with Crabbe and Goyle sniggering on either side of him, left the compartment.

"Bastard!" Ron snarled, slamming the door so hard it broke. "Ronald!" exclaimed Hermione reproachfully, waving her wand and fixing the door.

"Making it sound like he knows everything!" Ron snarled. "He's such an arse! I wish he didn't exist! If he went to Durmstrang, it'd be easy to push him off a glacier and make it look like an accident!"

"You mustn't let him get to you, Ron," said Ginny quietly.

"Get to me? Get to me?" Ron yelled. He sat back down in his seat, glaring all the while. "As if!"

Harry sighed, silently thanking Merlin that in all the kerfuffle, Malfoy hadn't noticed Hedwig's absence. If he'd taunted him about that, Harry didn't know what he would have done.

Ron's terrible mood continued the rest of the way to Hogwarts. As they disembarked from the train upon arrival, Harry tried to get a smile out of him. Finally, Ron gave in and let a tiny grin slide onto his face. "Ready for another year, guys?" Harry asked.

"You'd better believe it," Ron replied as they walked toward the carriages, anticipating the year to come.


	14. The Triwizard Tournament

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thanks so much for the wonderful reviews!

In answer to one of my reviewer's questions, "kerfuffle" is another word for "chaos."

Another of my readers asked me about when the trial will be. Remember that I said it would be in a few months, so it won't be for a while yet. I'll give you a spoiler: it'll be in December. But I hope you'll enjoy what happens in the meantime!

Some of these scenes are taken directly from canon. I couldn't help putting them in, especially the scene with Peeves and the water balloons!

Chapter 14: The Triwizard Tournament

As Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny hurried up to one of the carriages, they all gasped. Usually, the carriages were pulled by invisible creatures, but this year, they could see horselike beings pulling them.

"Hey, what's that?" said Ron, looking at them. They were very strange-looking things indeed. They seemed eerie, and they were looking at the children with interested expressions.

"These," said Hermione slowly, "are thestrals. I read about them in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. They have always pulled the carriages to Hogwarts."

"How can we see them now?" said Harry, interested, "and we couldn't see them before?"

"Because," Hermione replied quietly, "you can only see them if you've seen death."

Ginny's face grew solemn. "The Quidditch World Cup," she surmised. "We all saw those little girls being killed."

"Yeah," said Harry, his brain putting the pieces together, his heart breaking at the memory of the awful scene. "So that's why we can see them."

Ron had his mouth wide open in awe, staring fixedly at the thestrals. "Oh," he said.

"Come on, let's go, before the carriages leave," Hermione hurried them. They got into a carriage and soon, it started making its way to the beautiful castle with its picturesque turrets and towers.

When they arrived, they all got out, and walked to the big oak front doors. Harry was happy; even though he missed his guardians already, he knew he was now at his second home. He loved Hogwarts, it felt like heaven. The doors opened and everyone walked inside, to be greeted by none other than Peeves the poltergeist. He was chucking water balloons everywhere, and getting everyone soaking wet. "Oy!" said Ron grumpily as he chucked one at him. "Watch it, you scoundrel!" Harry, Hermione, and Ginny couldn't help but laugh as Ron became soaking wet. They could see other students also experiencing the same fate as Peeves continued to go about his mischief.

"Oh, it's Potter, the rotter!" he chanted as he chucked one at Harry, making cold water splash all over the teen. "Not going to kill off any students this year, are you?"

"Shut up, Peeves," said Ginny.

"Oh, it's Ginny the minnie," chuckled Peeves. More and more water balloons made the floor of the entrance hall sopping wet.

"PEEVES!" Professor McGonnagall's booming voice broke through the cacophony. "THAT IS ENOUGH! I WILL GET THE BLOODY BARON!"

Peeves immediately stopped what he was doing, and Hermione cast drying charms on all the students who had gotten wet. They all thanked her profusely. "You're a lifesaver, Hermione," said Ron, causing both their cheeks to turn red.

They all walked into the Great Hall and sat down at the Gryffindor table. Colin Creevy, an excitable third-year, was sitting near them. "Guess what, Harry?" he crowed as soon as he caught sight of him. "My brother Dennis is starting Hogwarts this year! He'll be here soon with the other first-years!"

"That's good, Colin," Harry replied, knowing that he couldn't possibly calm the younger boy down.

"I'll introduce him to you!" piped Colin enthusiastically.

"Wonder who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is," said Ron as he glanced at the staff table. Hagrid was missing, but understandably, he was with the first-years. Professor McGonnagall was also not there, but she was the one who would bring the first-years in. All the other teachers were present, but as Harry looked up and down the table, he saw no new face there. "Dunno," he answered Ron.

"Maybe Dumbledore couldn't find one," said Ginny.

"Oh, I do hope that isn't the case," said Hermione worriedly.

Soon, a group of bedraggled and nervous-looking first-years walked into the hall, along with Hagrid and Professor McGonnagall. She brought the stool and sorting hat with her, and the sorting began.

"Look, there's my brother!" said Colin excitedly, pointing at a small boy who looked a lot like him. He was soaked to the bone, and wrapped up in Hagrid's moleskin overcoat. "I fell in the lake!" he mouthed to his brother.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted exuberantly as it sorted Dennis. Colin beamed and Dennis ran over to the table. Colin pointed at Harry, mouthing, "Guess who he is, Dennis? It's Harry Potter!" Dennis beamed widely and shook Harry's hand with vigor.

After the sorting was over, the feast began. Ron heaped his plate full immediately, and started eating. Hermione also ate with enthusiasm, and Harry couldn't help but smile as he also started on his meal.

"Hello, everyone," said a voice. It was Nearly Headless Nick.

"Hello, Nick," said Hermione. "Did you have a nice summer?"

"It was very pleasant, thank you," said Nick. "We had trouble in the kitchens tonight, though. Bit of a problem getting back into the swing of things."

"What was the problem?" said Ron between mouthfuls of food.

"Ah, it was Peeves, of course," said Nick with humor. "He wanted to come to the feast, but the other ghosts wouldn't let him. The Bloody Baron especially put his foot down. Peeves then caused a fuss and totally ruined the kitchens. There was food everywhere; it was a right mess for the house-elves to clean up."

CLANG.

Hermione had thrown down her fork with such force that it almost fell off the table.

"What's the matter, Hermione?" Ron asked, concerned.

"There are house-elves HERE?" squeaked Hermione.

"Of course there are," said Nick, puzzled. "They help make all the meals."

"But that's SLAVE LABOR!" exclaimed Hermione loudly. "I knew things were bad when I read in the Prophet about that Mr. Crouch man sacking his house-elf, but I never thought Hogwarts hired SLAVES to help with their cooking!"

"Oh, Hermione," Ron sighed. "They LIKE what they do, don't you understand?"

"But they get sick days and holidays, don't they?" Hermione asked desperately. "Please tell me they do!"

But Nearly Headless Nick started to laugh. "Sick days and holidays?" he chortled. "You've got to be joking!"

So Hermione did not eat the rest of her meal. Even when Ron tried to coerce her by holding the treacle tart which was for dessert in front of her nose, she point-blank refused. "I am not eating anything that was made by slave labor," she said angrily.

"Give it a rest, would you?" said Ron. Hermione glared furiously at him.

After dessert was over, Professor Dumbledore stood up to speak. "Welcome, welcome, welcome!" he said jubilantly, "to another year of learning and education at Hogwarts! We have some very special things going on this year. First, I would like to give the usual announcements: the Forbidden Forest is called that for a reason, so no student should venture there unless accompanied by a teacher. The list of banned items is on the wall near Filch's office. I trust that you will look at it before long."

"Not that we'll be doing that," muttered Fred from across the table.

"My thoughts precisely, brother mine," mumbled George.

"As for special announcements," Dumbledore continued, "many of you will be disappointed by this, but I assure you that there will be something special to make up for it. The announcement is that there will be no Quidditch this year."

"WHAT!" said Ron loudly. Fred and George also were shouting, along with many other students. Harry was shocked. No Quidditch? He had brought his Firebolt back to school, and he'd been really looking forward to flying again. "There'd better be a damn good reason for this," griped George.

"Believe me, Mr. Weasley, there is," Dumbledore smiled humorously at him. "This year, an extraordinary event will be hosted at our school, an event which has not been held for centuries. It will be a chance for many people to meet and become friends, and for us to band together through all our experiences. I am extremely pleased to announce that this year at Hogwarts ..."

Suddenly, the doors of the Great Hall opened, and a man with a face full of scars and gray, grizzled hair stumped in. One of his eyes was normal, but the other one was frightening-looking. It kept swivelling around and around, and even seemed to fall into the back of his head at times. "Who is that?" Harry said in wonder.

"That, Harry," said Ron, his face full of shock, "is Mad-Eye Moody."

"You mean ..." said Harry. "The famous Auror's working here, at Hogwarts?"

"It seems so," grinned Ginny. "As our new Defense teacher!"

"Wow," said Fred and George, awed.

"I'm sorry I was late, old friend," said Moody, and his voice seemed like a growl. "Got held up."

"That's quite all right, my boy," said Dumbledore kindly. Moody situated himself at the staff table and started drinking from a hip flask.

"Told you he was paranoid," said Ron. "He never accepts a drink from anyone. Thinks the world's going to poison him or something. Only drinks from his own flask."

"He's a loon," said Fred. Moody was surveying the room, looking at all the students.

"Ah, here is our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," said Dumbledore proudly. "I am happy to introduce Alastor Moody to our faculty at Hogwarts. I do hope that all of you show him the respect he deserves." The hall burst into applause, and many people whistled. It was obvious that Mad-Eye Moody was a popular Auror, and had been talked about by many.

When the applause died down, Dumbledore continued talking. "As I was saying," he smiled, "this year, Hogwarts will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament."

"No way!" exclaimed Lee Jordan. "You're joking!"

"I am not, Mr. Jordan," Dumbledore laughed. "I am telling the absolute and honest truth. Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Durmstrang Institute's competitors will be coming on October 30 to our school. One student will be chosen to represent each school as its champion by an impartial judge." He continued to explain about the tournament, about when it was founded and why it hadn't been hosted in centuries.

"Death toll?" said Ron, his mouth hanging open as Dumbledore finished explaining. "Death toll? Oh, no!"

"Dumbledore just said they've made it much safer," Hermione soothed. "Nothing bad's going to happen this time, don't worry. If we can't trust Dumbledore, we can't trust anyone."

"However," Dumbledore said, "as much as any of you wish to be Hogwarts champion, I must tell you that for your safety, any student under the age of seventeen will not be allowed to compete."

"Nooooooo!" George howled.

"That's not fair!" yelled Fred.

"Booooooooo!" many of the students cried, but Harry didn't join them; he was actually relieved. As much as being Hogwarts champion would be cool, he didn't want the extra fame. He didn't think he'd be able to stand more whispers and stares from the entire school.

Dumbledore clapped his hands for silence, and the booing and hissing finally died down. "I am sorry to disappoint you," he continued, "but we are only doing this for your own good. This restriction will only let seventh-years and a few sixth-years join the tournament. Even though many of you will not be allowed to compete, you will be allowed to watch, and it will be a marvellous experience. You will also get to meet and become acquainted with many wizards from far away. Hopefully, you will make friends amongst them."

Fred, George, and their friend Lee were whispering amongst themselves, trying to plot a way to fool this impartial judge into letting them put their names down for the tournament anyway.

"Now," said Dumbledore, "it is time for you all to go to bed. You must get your minds ready for tomorrow, for there will be a lot to learn. Now, go! Chop-chop!"

Everyone pushed in their chairs and started making their way out of the Great Hall. "Reckon an aging potion'll do the trick, Fred?" asked George.

"Reckon so, brother dearest," said Fred. "What do you say, Lee?"

"Let's do it," said Lee excitedly.

"It's not going to work," said Hermione bossily.

"And why do you say that, Granger?" said George, a wide grin plastered across his face.

"Look, it's Dumbledore we're talking about here," said Hermione crossly. "You really think you can fool him?"

"He can definitely be a bit barmy sometimes," said Fred. "Reckon we can pull one over him, I really do."

"Suit yourselves," said Hermione. "But believe me, it's not going to work."

"That's what you think," muttered Lee. "You'll see."

"Hey, what do you reckon, mate?" said Ron, grinning at Harry. "Dumbledore said whoever wins gets a thousand galleons! ONE THOUSAND GALLEONS and the Triwizard Cup! Wanna try it? Wanna try entering?"

"Better you than me," Harry answered tiredly.

"Oh, come on, mate!" exclaimed Ron. "It'd be fun! You'd get to do all these terrific challenges!"

"I dunno," Harry said. "I'll think about it." But he was only saying this to appease Ron; his heart wasn't in it when it came to entering.

xxx

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny entered the Gryffindor common room. They sat down in their usual comfy armchairs. The room was filled with excited chatter about the Triwizard Tournament. Fred, George, and Lee kept going back and forth, exchanging ideas on who this "impartial judge" would be. Colin kept saying he'd take pictures of the events that would happen, with Dennis joining along. Hermione tried to bury her nose in a book, but all the noise kept distracting her. She finally sighed and put it down.

As the night wore on, the common room started to empty. Of Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny, Ginny was the first of them to go to bed. She said good night to them all, giving Harry a shy smile. "Good night, Gin," Harry replied as she started to go up the girls' staircase.

Harry then went to the owlery and owled Sirius and Remus, like they'd asked him to. He wrote of the train ride and of Dumbledore's announcement, letting them know how excited he was to be able to witness the events of such a legendary occurrence. Then, he walked back to Gryffindor Tower.

Finally, it was just the three friends left in the common room. Even the twins and Lee had gone to their dormitory, probably to plot more ways to fool the impartial judge for the tournament.

"Listen, mate, 'Mione and I wanted to talk to you," said Ron in a serious voice. Harry felt dread build in the pit of his stomach; he somehow knew what this was about.

"What is it?" he asked.

"We know something's not right with you," said Hermione earnestly. "I can see it in your eyes. What happened this summer, Harry, before you went to live with Sirius and Remus? You can tell us anything," she said comfortingly, putting a calming hand on Harry's shoulder.

"I don't want to talk about it," said Harry tightly. "Please, don't make me."

"We know it has something to do with the Dursleys. Come on, mate," Ron insisted.

"Look," Harry said desperately, "I'm not ready to talk about it yet. But I promise I'll tell you some other time, all right?"

"Are you talking to anyone about it?" Hermione said gently. "Anyone at all?"

"Well," Harry said hesitantly, "I'm getting some kind of therapy sessions with Remus. He'll be coming here once a week."

"Oh, like Ginny told me she's getting," said Ron. "We know you know what's wrong with her. She did tell me something about Tom Riddle hurting her down in the chamber. I was going to make you tell me exactly what he did, but she begged and begged me not to, and I also got talked out of it by 'Mione here. Mum also gave me a talking-to."

"Sometimes," said Hermione, "having people talk about their problems takes time."

"I know," Ron sighed. "But she's my sister, and you're my best mate, Harry. I want to help."

"I know you do, Ron," said Hermione compassionately, "and that's really nice of you. Don't be angry, I can see it on your face. I know you're frustrated that Harry and Ginny aren't talking about it."

"I feel bloody helpless," Ron grumbled.

"Don't, Ron," said Harry, starting to feel uncomfortable. "There's nothing you can do right now. I'm sure Ginny will tell you in time, and so will I. But if we tell you now, all that'll do is make you more upset."

"Fine, fine," Ron groaned, but they could see he really wasn't fine.

"You're wise beyond your years, Harry," said Hermione. "I'm sorry about whatever happened."

"It's over now," Harry sighed. "At least I've got you guys, and Sirius and Remus."

"That's true," Hermione said with a small smile.

"I'm tired," Ron yawned. "I want to go to bed."

"Yes, it's been one busy day," said Hermione, the yawning contagious, for she had started it too. "Good night, you two. Sleep well, and don't wake up too late."

"We won't, Mum," said Ron, causing Hermione to punch him lightly on the arm. He grinned at her, and he and Harry watched her climb up the stairs of the girls' dormitory. The two boys then made their way up to their own.

As Harry got undressed and climbed into bed, he thought about the year ahead. He knew Ron was a little angry about him not telling about his problems, but his best friend would just have to accept that he wasn't ready to share them yet. He knew about the explosion that would come when he did tell, and seeing Ron swearing up a storm was definitely not pleasant. He also knew, though, that he'd have to tell them sooner or later. He hoped that Ginny would also be all right.

He thought, as well, about his guardians. He wondered how they were doing, and hoped that 804, Lawdershod Avenue was treating them well. He was glad that they were both very near him, for Hogsmeade was not at all far from where he was. He thought about the Triwizard Tournament, and the lucky person who would get to represent Hogwarts as champion. He hoped it was someone like Cedric, who would be seventeen this month and therefore would be old enough to compete. He also thought of people like Angelina Johnson, who would also be the right age.

With these thoughts in mind, he felt himself drifting off to sleep. Another Hogwarts school year had begun.


	15. An Unforgivable Twist

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Hi all! I hope this finds you all well! Thanks so much for the reviews!

If you've noticed, I've tried to be really good about updating lately. I've tried to do it once a day, and I'm really sorry I haven't been able to since Saturday. The reason was because on Sunday and Monday, I was ill in bed! I wasn't able to choke a mouthful of food down, let alone think about updating! But you'll be pleased to know that I'm back on my feet now, eating again. I'm just very tired from being sick, but I figured I'd make you all happy with an update anyway. So please enjoy!

On a side note, when I was revising this story, I decided to take an entire chapter out of the original version because every scene in that chapter was a scene that happened in the real canon. I figured it would be really boring to read canon again, so what I'm doing is I'm going to devote just one paragraph to it instead of an entire chapter! I hope that this is a better version than what I originally wrote.

Please let me know what you think! I am keeping the Unforgivable Curses scene in because what happens afterwards is completely original.

Chapter 15: An Unforgivable Twist

The next few days passed, and classes were extremely interesting. In Care of Magical creatures, "interesting" was another word for "taking things too far". Blast-Ended Skrewts were the topic of discussion, and they were creatures you did not want to cross. For several of the students, the lesson did not pan out well; they ended up being stung or bitten!

Harry would never forget the scene that happened later that day, however. Draco Malfoy was in the Entrance Hall, spouting off about an article in the Daily Prophet. Apparently, people at the Ministry were being blamed for what had happened at the World Cup, and Arthur Weasley was mentioned. After a few insults were traded back and forth, Draco fired a spell at Harry from behind.

And Mad-Eye Moody was not impressed at all. With a flick of his wand, Draco Malfoy had turned into a pure white ferret. Moody then proceeded to bounce Malfoy around on the floor, to the delight of many of the students. Harry, however, felt uncomfortable. Ron grinned; after all, it was only Malfoy! But Harry still felt chills up and down his spine about the whole situation.

Eventually, Professor McGonagall stopped the spectacle, and Moody ended up taking Draco to Professor Snape. Needless to say, at dinner that night, it was the talk of the entire school.

The following days passed without much incident, unless you counted Neville melting another cauldron in Potions. Snape seemed to be in an especially foul mood this year, and gave Neville detention. Harry, Ron, and Hermione surmised that Snape was in this mood because of Moody. He hadn't liked all the previous Defense teachers, but he didn't show any open animosity to Mad-Eye. Instead, it was taken out on all the students.

Everyone was looking forward to Moody's first lesson. On Friday after lunch, they hurried into the classroom. Moody wasn't there yet, so they all sat down at their desks.

Soon, a clunking sound was heard, and the ex-Auror came into the room. It was his wooden leg which was making the clunking noise. His magical eye was spinning around all over the place.

"Wo," whispered Seamus Finnigan in awe. "Bet the old codger can see out of the back of his head!"

"I heard that, Finnigan," Moody growled. "My ears work too, you know."

Seamus looked ashamed. It was obvious he was intimidated by Moody. "Sorry," he mumbled. Moody just gave him a glare.

Once everyone was seated, Moody started his lecture. "Put your books away," he boomed. "You won't need them."

Harry remembered that last year, Professor Lupin had said the same thing to the class in their first lesson, and it had ended up being all about boggarts. He could distinctly remember Neville's turning into Snape, and when he said RIDDIKULUS! Snape was wearing his grandmother's clothes and the vulture-topped hat she always wore.

"Right then," said Moody after he had finished taking attendance. "I had a letter from my predecessor about this class. He informed me that you have a good grasp on dark creatures, so now we will work on curses. I'm here to show you what wizards are able to do to one another; I've got one year to show ..."

"You mean," interrupted Ron, "you're only staying one year?"

"Yes, Weasley," Moody growled. "I am doing this as a favor for Dumbledore. Then I will go back to my retirement." He let out a harsh laugh.

"Now, straight into it," he continued after a few seconds. "Curses. They come in all strengths and forms. I'm supposed to be teaching you countercurses and just stop there; this is what the Ministry of Magic prefers. But Professor Dumbledore reckons you can cope with seeing what illegal dark curses can do. If a wizard's going to put one on you, they're not going to do it nice and polite to your face. You need to be prepared. You need to be watchful. You need to put that away, Miss Patil, this is not Divination!" Parvati's face immediately reddened and she silently slipped her star chart back into her bag.

"So," Moody went on, "do any of you know what curses are punished the most heavily by wizarding law?"

Harry remembered his conversation with Sirius and Remus, and he raised his hand. Hermione's hand was also up, along with Neville's. "POTTER!" roared Moody. "What do you think?"

"The Unforgivable Curses, sir," said Harry.

"Very good, very good," growled Moody. "The Ministry had a lot of trouble with those curses back when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was in power. Can you name one of the Unforgivables for me, please, anyone?"

This time, Moody called on Ron. "My dad told me about the Imperius Curse," Ron answered swiftly.

"Ah, yes," said Moody. "The Imperius Curse. That was the one which totally flummoxed the Ministry. Many people who were caught and accused of being You-Know-Who's supporters claimed they were subjected to this curse. Let me show you what it can do." He opened a tin on his desk. Inside were three spiders. Ron's face turned white. "Oh, no," he moaned quietly. "Not spiders!"

Moody took one of the spiders out of the tin and held it in his hand. "Ah, little beauty," he crooned. Slowly, he raised his wand and pointed it at the insect. "Imperio!" he intoned.

Then, the spider started doing some amazing things. It did cartwheels, it jumped back into the tin, jumped out again, and did more acrobatics. A lot of people in the class laughed, but Harry kept a straight face, for he realized the seriousness of the curse.

"Think it's funny, do you?" snarled Moody. "You won't think it's funny when someone casts it on you! What should I make it do next? Drown itself?"

Everyone stopped laughing and looked warily at the ex-Auror. He took the curse off the spider and placed it back in the tin. "Complete and total control," he said. "When one casts the Imperius Curse on another wizard, the wizard will do absolutely anything the caster asks them to. If I were to cast it on a student and tell them to kill another student, they would probably do it. However, there are ways of fighting off the Imperius Curse, and I will be showing you how to do that later in the year."

"You mean, you'll be putting it on us?" squeaked Hermione, shocked. "But you said that's illegal!"

"Well, if you don't want to learn," sneered Moody, "you can leave, Miss Granger." Hermione immediately hung her head, looking appalled at her behavior.

"Right then," said Moody. "What is the second Unforgivable Curse? Yes, Longbottom?"

Neville said in a shaky voice, "The ... the C-cruciatus Curse."

Harry remembered what Sirius and Remus had told him about Neville's parents going insane from this curse. He could see terror in Neville's eyes; this was going to be awful for him, to watch something be tortured by a curse which made him pretty much an orphan.

"Yes, the torture curse," said Moody quietly. He took out another spider from the tin, promptly pointed his wand at it, and said, "Crucio!"

The spider immediately started to twitch. Harry had no doubts that if spiders could scream, this one definitely would be screaming. He felt sick to his stomach as he watched it writhe around on the floor. He looked at Neville, whose face had gone white, and he was shaking all over. He put his head in his hands; he couldn't bear to watch.

"Stop it, stop it!" Hermione suddenly cried, pointing at Neville. "You're upsetting him, stop it!"

Moody grunted, shook his head, and took the curse off the spider. "Horrible, horrible," he muttered. "Not very nice, is it? But you have to be prepared. You need to know what you're up against. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" he roared so loudly that everyone in the room jumped.

Harry suddenly felt an awful feeling of foreboding. He knew what curse was coming next, and even though he had seen it performed twice in his dreams now and also at the Quidditch World Cup, , this didn't make it any easier at all. He would always feel sickened whenever he saw it done.

"Potter," Moody growled, "can you name for me the final curse?" His magical eye was looking at Harry in a way that made him feel exposed and vulnerable.

"The Killing Curse," Harry managed to say. "The Avada Kedavra."

"Well done," said Moody. "Yes, that's right." He picked up the third spider, and raised his wand at it. Harry wanted to close his eyes, but he was somehow transfixed at the sight. "Avada Kedavra!" Moody bellowed. A sickly green light burst from the end of his wand, and there was a rushing noise. The light hit the spider. It immediately dropped to the floor, dead. Many people in the class gasped.

"Yes, very nasty," said Moody. "And that was done to many, many human beings. One second alive, the next second not."

Harry's thoughts whirled. He imagined his parents' lives being snuffed out by that light, just like that, and Voldemort's cruel, high-pitched laughter. He remembered his mother's screams of "take me, kill me instead!"

Hermione tapped him on the shoulder, and Harry looked at her. She was staring at him with concern. "Are you all right, Harry?" she whispered.

"I'm fine," muttered Harry in a monotone, but he was far from it. He simply couldn't believe that two words, six syllables, could end a life.

"You need powerful magic behind these three curses," explained Moody. "You've got to MEAN them. If you pointed your wands at me and intoned the Killing Curse without any feeling, it wouldn't even give me as much as a nosebleed. Now, that's all for today. DISMISSED!" he barked.

Harry shakily got up and walked out of the classroom with his two best friends. Ron and Hermione were now looking at him with even more concern. "Harry, you're shaking," said Ron. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," repeated Harry. He didn't feel like talking about how he felt about his parents.

Moody followed them out of the classroom, and he tapped Harry on the shoulder. Whirling around, Harry saw him do the same thing to Neville. "Potter, Longbottom," he said, and his voice was a much gentler growl than usual. "I know you were disturbed by this class. Would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me? I have some books you might like, and I can help take your mind off it."

Harry and Neville exchanged looks. They were both hesitant. "Go on," Hermione prompted quietly. "It'll be good for you." Ron nodded in agreement.

"All right," Harry and Neville agreed reluctantly. They walked with Moody through the hallway until they got to Moody's office. When they walked in, they saw that the office was filled with many mysterious objects. Moody shut the door and placed a locking charm on it. He saw the two boys looking at the instruments and smiled. "Those are dark detectors," he said gruffly. Pointing at a mirror, he said, "that's a Foe-Glass. It shows your enemies if they are near you at the time. Mine seems to be malfunctioning at the moment, however, for it shows your faces." Harry and Neville looked, and sure enough, they could see their own faces reflected in the Foe-Glass.

They sat down in chairs while Moody made them each a cup of tea. "Here you go," he said. "Tea for both of you."

As the two boys drank, Moody continued to talk in a low, gravelly voice. "Potter, I know my showing everyone the Killing Curse bothered you. But you've got to be prepared, lad. You've got to know what to do if You-Know-Who returns. I know it wasn't very nice, and I know it reminded you of your parents. But I hope you can take comfort in the fact that they were both very, very brave. And Longbottom, I am terribly sorry I had to demonstrate the Cruciatus. Your parents were also very brave and fought like true heroes. I was one of the Aurors there that night, who caught the Death Eaters who were torturing them. But I'm afraid we were far too late, the damage was already done."

Neville looked close to tears. He looked at Harry to see if he had already known about this situation, and Harry nodded guiltily and mouthed, "Sirius and Remus." Neville then stared at Moody, pain in his eyes.

"It's okay," he mumbled. "I guess we had to see it."

"As I said before, you need to be vigilant," said the ex-Auror. "Now, if you two are finished, you may go. I am sure you'd like some free time before dinner."

"Thank you, Professor," said Harry, and he and Neville got out of their chairs. They were just heading to the door when Neville said, "Professor, you forgot to unlock the door."

"Ah, you're right," said Moody. Suddenly, he raised his wand and pointed it at Neville. "Incarcerous!" he roared. As quick as a flash, he also did the same thing to Harry. The two boys fell to the floor, ropes binding their hands and legs

"Professor, what are you doing?" Neville gasped.

"Ah," said Moody, and Harry had a very bad feeling about this. There was a sinister smile curling the corners of Moody's mouth. "What am I doing, indeed. It's funny you should ask that."

"Is this supposed to be some kind of demonstration?" Harry wondered.

"You could say that," growled Moody, and then he let out a harsh laugh. "LONGBOTTOM!" he roared. "I told you that your parents fought like heroes. Ah, yes. But they lost in the end, didn't they? Well, they do say karma comes back to haunt those who associate with mudbloods and filthy scum like that!"

Harry and Neville's mouths gaped open in shock. This couldn't be happening. Mad-Eye Moody, one of Dumbledore's closest friends and a retired Auror, speaking like this? Moody continued to smile evilly at the two youths. "Don't look so shocked," he snarled. "Old Mad-Eye's just making a statement."

"You're not Mad-Eye!" Harry blurted out. "You can't be! After everything I've heard about him, he would never say anything so cruel! I mean, Moody put many, many Death Eaters in Azkaban, for Merlin's sake!"

Moody's smile grew even more cruel. "Ah, good assumption, Mr. Potter," he said sarcastically. "The Dark Lord will be pleased with you, I can assure you of that. He will praise you for those skills ... that is ... before he kills you!" he sneered.

"Who are you?" squeaked Neville, looking absolutely terrified.

"You will see in time, my friends," the impostor mocked. "And what I told you about my Foe-Glass was a lie. It is functioning at 100 percent capacity!"

Neville and Harry struggled, trying to get out of their binds. The man disguised as Moody laughed uproariously and said, "Don't even think about screaming, you scum. I put a Silencing Charm on the room, so no one can hear you. And don't fight, either. It will be no use."

All the two boys could do was lay there in terror, wondering what this man was going to do.

After about a minute, something happened. Slowly, very slowly, Moody's features began to change. Before anyone knew it, he had morfhed into someone with straw-colored hair, someone Harry recognized from the newspapers and from his dreams. "YOU!" he snarled, still trying to fight. "Barty Crouch, JR!"

"Oh God!" yelled Neville. "No, no, no, no, no!"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes," Crouch mocked. "Barty Crouch, Jr. at your service, sirs!"

"What the hell do you want?" Neville screamed. "Do you know what you did to my parents?"

"Of course I do, you fool," scoffed Crouch. "They do not even recognize you now, do they, boy?"

"HOW DARE YOU!" shouted Neville in rage. "HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT MY PARENTS!"

"Oh, I dare, I dare," sneered Crouch. "And the Dark Lord shall return, and all you filth will die! It is true that that foolish Alastor Moody and his group of pathetic Aurors arrived at the scene of your parents' torture, Longbottom, but they got there too late. We'd already had our fun with Alice and Frank, I assure you. They pretended to be strong, but they were oh, so weak in the end. And your parents, Potter, their sacrifice will be in vain, for the Dark Lord will kill you! You do know about the prophecy, don't you, boys?"

"Prophecy?" Harry said, glowering. "What prophecy, you liar?"

Another horrible, horrible smile twisted itself onto Crouch's face. He started to laugh. "You don't know?" he jeered. "You mean, your precious guardians didn't tell you, Potter? And you, Longbottom, your good-for-nothing gran didn't tell you about the prophecy? Why, it was old Sybill Trelawney herself who predicted it. The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches, born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies. Don't lie to me, boys, don't think you can get away with it! You know about the prophecy, don't you? You're only pretending not to know! You know the rest of it! The Dark Lord only learned the first half! Tell me what I want to know, and no one need get hurt!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" said Neville in terror. "You're the liar, not us! I don't know what stinking prophecy you ..."

"BE QUIET!" Crouch roared. "Now, Longbottom, if you don't tell me the rest of the prophecy, I will show you first-hand what was done to your parents!"

"I don't know!" Neville shouted, tears streaming down his face. "I don't know what you're on about, you twisted madman!"

"Very well," Crouch snarled. "Watch your friend suffer, then!" He raised his wand and pointed it at Harry. In a menacing voice he roared, "Crucio!"

It was pain beyond anything Harry had ever felt before, pain that lanced through his entire body. It was like a thousand knives were cutting through every part of him, slicing through every organ. He was screaming, screaming so loudly that he thought his throat would go raw and his voice would stop working. He could hardly hear Neville's frantic cries over his screams.

Then, suddenly, the pain was gone, and Crouch was standing over them, smirking. "That's right, Longbottom, tell me what I want to know so I can inform the Dark Lord," he said.

"I'm telling you, I don't know!" Neville cried hysterically. "Don't hurt Harry, hurt me instead! I don't know about any prophecy!"

"I don't think so," leered Crouch. Pointing his wand at Harry again, he shouted, "Crucio!"

And the pain began anew, and Harry was blinded by it. He writhed around on the floor, feeling the most pain he had ever felt in his life. He'd rather have Vernon Dursley beat him senseless than experience this. He could still hear Neville sobbing in the background, begging it to stop.

Crouch finally lifted the curse after an indeterminable amount of time. "Ah, I think that's enough," he sneered. "Can't have our Wonderboy going insane, can we, before he faces the Dark Lord? And Longbottom, I would kill you if I could. However, under the circumstances ..." He pretended to think for a minute. "I cannot do that, can I? Potter will go running to that fool Dumbledore and he'll tell him about everything. I have a plot to get you to the Dark Lord later this year, Potter, and we don't want Dumbledore knowing about it, do we? I don't want to look suspicious now, do I? I just thought I'd give you a little taster of what dark wizards can do to you. Just a practical lesson, you know." He grinned the most sinister grin the boys had ever seen. "Aren't I a good teacher?"

"Of course we'll tell!" Harry screamed, shaking from the effects of the Cruciatus. He felt weak and exhausted, and couldn't believe what had just happened.

"I'm sorry, Harry," cried Neville, looking horrified. "I didn't want him to hurt you, I tried to make it stop! I swear, I don't know about any prophecy!"

"It wasn't your fault," Harry consoled him. "I'm not blaming you. It's all Crouch's fault."

"Ah, how touching," sneered Crouch. "Well, back to the task at hand. I have learned how to cover my tracks extremely well. What Gilderoy Lockhart cannot do, I can."

"No!" Harry cried. "You coward! You're going to Memory Charm us, aren't you?"

"Well done, Potter," Crouch mocked. "Very, very good. You aren't going to remember any of this. The last thing you will remember is having tea with me. You will just assume that the blank spot in your mind is because you were so traumatized by the events in class today that you blocked that part of the day out. After all, I have only kept you here for about five minutes, so it won't be very noticeable. But ah, before I do that, let me fix myself." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a hip flask and put it to his mouth, chugging down the liquid. Polyjuice Potion, Harry realized. He's doing all of this with Polyjuice Potion. He watched as Crouch's face turned back into the countenance of Mad-Eye Moody.

"Well, now that that's done," Crouch growled, "we can get down to business. What did I tell you about struggling, boys?" he jeered, as Harry and Neville continued to try to fight their binds. "Once the charm is cast, I will release you from the binds and tell you to get up. You will do so upon my command, for the disorientation of a Memory Charm works almost like the Imperius Curse. You will both sit in your chairs like you were before, and then I will tell you that you can leave. You will not remember the first few seconds after the charm was cast. Is that understood?"

"Go to hell," Neville spat at him. "You'll end up back in Azkaban again, I swear you will."

"Oh, I will, will I?" Crouch sneered. "We'll see about that one, boy."

"Where's the real Moody?" Harry demanded.

"Ah, never you mind," growled Crouch. Pointing his wand at Neville, he intoned, "Obliviate!" and then did the same to Harry.

The next thing Harry remembered was sitting in the chair, Neville sitting across from him. "What happened?" he asked Moody. "I feel really shaky, I think I blacked out for a minute."

"Yeah, I don't feel so great myself," sobbed Neville.

"Ah, don't worry about it," Moody said in his gentle growl. "You two have just been traumatized by the events of the day. Potter, you don't look well at all. Here, I have a potion that can get rid of the shaking." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a vial. "Here you go, lad," he said. "Drink this." Harry gratefully put the potion to his lips and drank.

"You shouldn't have done that, boy," said Moody appraisingly. "Never just drink something someone you don't know well offers you. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

"Well, you're my teacher, and you're an ex-Auror. I trust you," Harry said.

"Ah, but do I deserve that trust?" asked Moody. "You hardly know me. You happen to be right, of course, that I am no Death Eater, but after all, anyone could fool you."

"Yeah, I know. I'll be more careful in the future," Harry said, starting to feel a lot better. The shaking subsided, and Neville's tears slowed down. He hadn't even realized he was crying.

"Well, if that is all," said Moody, "you may go. Potter, here is an interesting book for you on Defense Against the Dark Arts which I think you might like. Longbottom, Professor Sprout tells me you are very good in Herbology." At this, Neville managed a weak smile. "Here is a book on plants which I think might interest you." He placed each book into the two boys' hands. He then pointed his wand at the door, unlocking it.

"Thank you, Professor," said the two boys sincerely.

"Not a problem, not a problem," Moody reassured them. "I hope the rest of your day is productive."

And with that, the two boys left the room. Harry still felt a little shaken and exhausted, and Neville's face was red from crying. But all in all, they felt a lot better than they had when class had ended.


	16. Heart to Heart

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Hey all! Thanks so much for the feedback!

Thank you to one of my reviewers for reminding me that people cannot speak when they are under Petrificus Totalus. I had forgotten that! I changed the spell to Incarcerus. Thanks again! And yes, eventually Harry will remember what happened to him, but it won't be until later on in this story.

Please enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 16: Heart to Heart

Harry and Neville walked to dinner from Moody's office. Their conference with Moody had helped them more than they thought it would.

"Hey, mate," said Ron as Harry plonked himself down at the Gryffindor table. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Harry.

"Are you sure?" Hermione pushed. Harry gave her a look. She looked like she was going to argue, but Ron whispered something in her ear and she backed down.

Dinner passed, and soon Harry found himself seated in the Gryffindor common room, completing his homework assignments. He was almost done his Transfiguration essay when a voice came from his pocket. "Harry?"

It was Sirius. Harry quickly got the mirror out of his pocket and talked into it. "Yes, Sirius?"

"Hey kiddo." Sirius's smiling face looked at him. "Is anyone there with you?"

"Yeah, I'm in the common room, but I can go up to the dormitory," Harry answered, sensing that this was a kind of conversation that the others shouldn't hear. He nodded to Ron and Hermione, signalling that he'd be back, and then he went upstairs.

When he reached the fourth year boys' dormitory, he sat down on his bed. "Is everything okay, Padfoot?" he asked.

"Everything's fine. I'm the one who's worried about you," said Sirius. "Remus and I just received a call from Professor Dumbledore. He told us what happened in Alastor Moody's class today. Are you alright?"

Harry really didn't want to talk about this. "Yeah, I'm fine," he mumbled. "Can we please not talk about it now?"

Sirius looked more worried. "Okay, kiddo, but Remus and I are coming tomorrow. It's your first therapy session, and we don't expect you to talk about everything, but we assure you that talking about it will make you feel better."

Harry was so tired and snappish that he almost lost his temper and shot back, "Have you talked about Azkaban yet?" but he didn't. He knew Sirius was only trying to help.

"Remus and I are coming at twelve, since tomorrow's Saturday," Sirius explained. "Remus will be speaking with Ginny first, and then it will be your turn. I'll go wander the castle during Ginny's meeting, but I'll be back for yours. So meet with us around quarter to one, okay?"

"Okay," said Harry, yawning.

"Go ahead and get some rest. We'll see you tomorrow."

"All right," Harry said, smiling weakly.

But Harry couldn't sleep. The green light of the Avada Kedavra curse kept buzzing through his mind. He kept picturing that spider keeling over, dead, the life just snuffed out of it. He thought of his parents, two people who were real human beings, just falling like that and never moving again. He remembered Sirius in the Shrieking Shack, half-mad with rage and grief, talking about how he'd turned up at Godric's Hollow and seen the Potters' dead bodies; the corpses of James and Lily just lying there, motionless. He'd had to be raised at the Dursleys just because of that awful curse. He couldn't fathom that just two little words, six syllables, could end a life. Powerful magic had to be behind it, but wizards were powerful, and if they conjured up the right emotions, they could do it. He also thought of Neville, whose parents had been tortured to insanity by the Cruciatus. He couldn't even imagine the amount of pain they had been in. How could wizards think up such diabolical spells? Even though Harry was exhausted and kept yawning, sleep just would not claim him.

Eventually, he crept down to the common room. The other boys were snoring, and he hoped that his getting out of bed wouldn't wake them. Luckily, they kept right on snoring.

He sat at the crackling fire, and noticed that he was not the only one down here. Staring blankly into space was Ginny Weasley.

"Gin?" Harry said softly. But Ginny didn't reply; it was as if she was in her own little world, and couldn't hear or understand what anyone was saying. Harry knelt by her and touched her on the arm. "Gin?" he repeated, concerned.

Ginny jumped about a foot in the air. "Ahh!" she cried. "Oh, hi, Harry."

"I'm sorry," said Harry. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Oh ... it's okay," Ginny said, trying to calm her racing heart.

"Can you not sleep?" Harry asked gently.

"No. You can't either?"

"No," Harry admitted. "What's wrong? Is everything all right?"

Ginny looked at him, fear evident in her brown orbs. She didn't answer for a minute, but finally, she said, "It's just that ... I'm worried about tomorrow. Professor McGonagall told me it's the first therapy session."

Harry sat down next to her. "I'm worried about it too," he confessed. "I know Sirius and Remus are only trying to help, but I don't want to talk about all the stuff that's happened to me."

"Neville told me what happened today in Moody's class," Ginny said quietly.

"Yeah," said Harry unhappily.

"I'm sorry," said Ginny consolingly. "I won't talk about it if you don't want to."

Harry gave her a small smile. They sat there in silence for a while, just enjoying each other's company. Harry felt comfortable with Ginny; they had both been through traumatic experiences, so they wouldn't urge each other to talk if they weren't in the mood.

"I miss him sometimes," Ginny whispered suddenly.

"Who?"

"Tom. It sounds crazy, and I probably sound insane for saying it, but God, I miss him. I hate him for what he did, and hate him for the fact that he was right. I was nothing but a stupid little girl. And I still am, because there are times when I still miss him. I still can't understand why he did ... you know."

"Ginny," said Harry firmly. "You were, and are, not a stupid little girl. Do you know how many times I wanted to have friends when I lived with the Dursleys? I'm just surprised that you couldn't talk to your brothers or Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. They really do care about you, and love you, you know."

"I know," Ginny sighed. "It's just that Ron's so overprotective, it's like he thinks that I can't take care of myself. Fred and George can't be serious seven eighths of the time, and Mum's so busy taking care of the rest of the family. Dad's got all this Ministry stuff to do, and Percy, you might as well forget about talking to him. I'd talk to Bill and Charlie, but Bill's in Egypt and Charlie's in Romania, so that's out of the question. Tom was the only person I thought I could talk to.

"I feel so dirty sometimes," Ginny said, her voice starting to shake. "And I feel so stupid for not knowing what Tom was up to. He told me that no boy would ever want me, that I'm just immature and dumb. You're the only person I feel comfortable with talking about it, because you've been affected by him too. Will Remus be angry with me? I mean, will he think I'm pathetic for not standing up for myself? And how can Hermione even look me in the eye? It was my stupid fault that she could have been killed! And Penelope and Justin and Colin, too! Hogwarts would have closed because I was just a lovesick little puppy!" Tears started to fall down Ginny's face.

Harry was surprised that she was able to share so much with him. He'd never really had someone talk to him like this before. He wasn't that used to emotional conversations, and Ginny's emotions were all over the place. He had been shut out from love, from hugs, from emotions for so long that he was confused in how to respond. He wished that Sirius or Remus were here to guide him through this. But he'd seen the way his guardians acted with each other and with him, so he knew what he had to do, like he'd known last time Ginny had broken down in front of him. He put his arms around her and held her close as she wept.

"Listen, Gin, Hermione doesn't blame you," he said gently. "And as far as I know, no one else in the school knows that Tom was doing that stuff to you to make you open the chamber. I think Dumbledore didn't tell anyone, he knew you were upset enough about what happened. And I think that even if they did know, they wouldn't be angry with you. You didn't know what you were doing. It was Tom's fault, not yours."

"Yes, it was my fault!" Ginny cried, shaking in Harry's arms. "I was the fool who started writing in the diary again, even after I suspected something was wrong! I should have known enough about the magical world to not have done that! I let Tom do whatever he wanted to me, and I still miss him at times! How can I miss the boy who ruined my life?"

"Ginny, listen to me," Harry said. "I know you wouldn't have written in that diary if you'd known for sure that you were causing the attacks ..."

"But Harry, you were almost killed because of me!" Ginny sobbed. "Tom would've destroyed you! As it was, you almost died because of the basilisk! It was only the phoenix tears that saved you!"

"But it's not your fault. That was not your fault," Harry pleaded with her, accenting each word. "It was my choice to go down to the chamber to save you. Nobody put a wand to my head and told me I had to do it."

"Why did you?" Ginny wept. "It's not your responsibility to save me! And I never thanked you properly for saving my life, either. I was so selfish when I woke up, all I could worry about was being expelled when you almost died!"

"I didn't think you were selfish at all!" Harry exclaimed. "Tom had no right to do what he did to you. He's a monster, Ginny. He killed tons of people, and my parents. I can't blame you for being selfish after an experience like that. And no, you should know Remus better than that. Of course he isn't going to blame you. Have you seen him blame me once for what happened to me?"

"N-No," sniffled Ginny reluctantly.

"So he won't blame you, either," said Harry. "And you're not stupid or immature or any other nasty thing Tom called you. If you want to know, you're not alone in feeling that way, though. I have to tell you, sometimes I blame myself, too, for what happened with my uncle. But listen, you're not stupid or dirty. You didn't want Tom to do what he did, right?"

"No way."

"Well, I didn't want my uncle to do what he did either. So you're definitely not at fault. Do you want to know something?"

"What?" said Ginny, starting to calm down.

"I know nothing about girls. But I think you're very pretty, and I'm sure someday you'll find someone who will go out with you."

"Do you really think so, Harry?" Ginny asked, hope shining in her tear-filled eyes.

"Of course," said Harry. He was in totally foreign territory here; he was only saying what his heart told him to, but as he'd admitted to Ginny, he knew absolutely nothing about dating. He often grew embarrassed if he heard anyone talk about it. How was he supposed to show love to a girl? How was he supposed to treat her? He felt a little hypocritical, for telling Ginny she was not stupid when there were times when he often felt he was, too, but he honestly didn't think Ginny was stupid. He hated to see someone thinking so badly of themselves, putting themselves down, like he did. He felt like a pathetic excuse for a wizard, letting his uncle, a Muggle, take advantage of him like that. But he wasn't about to say, and he also didn't think, that Ginny was stupid. Even as a young boy, Voldemort had been very powerful; Harry himself had almost died in the fight against him. And even if Ginny had been taken advantage of by a Muggle, Harry still wouldn't feel she was at fault. Victims of this kind of crime were blameless.

"Thank you," Ginny said gratefully.

"And you don't have to thank me for saving you," Harry said honestly.

"Yes, I do," Ginny insisted. "And you're very handsome, and I don't think you're immature or stupid either. And I think you'll get your fairy tale romance too, someday."

"You mean, like Cinderella?" Harry chuckled a little. Growing up, he'd never had any fairy tales read to him, but he'd always wondered about magic. So when he'd been at his Muggle school, he'd spent every chance he could looking in the library for anything about witches and wizards. Uncle Vernon had drilled into his head the fact that magic didn't exist, but back then, he'd wanted to defy him. So he'd gone behind his uncle's back and read fairy tales, and Cinderella was one of them.

"Oh yeah, Dad told me about that one," Ginny smiled. "Most witches and wizards don't read Muggle fairy tales, but you know what Dad's like."

"I do," Harry grinned.

"He read them all to us when we were little," Ginny said. "He also read us wizarding stories of the most famous wizards. Do you know what other story he read?"

"What?" Harry asked, knowing what was coming. His face flushed.

"The Boy Who Lived," said Ginny.

"Oh," Harry said, embarrassed. "Look, I didn't defeat Voldemort." Ginny shuddered at the name. "I'm sorry, You-Know-Who," Harry amended. He knew that he should say the name, but after Ginny's experiences with the young Voldemort, he knew not to push it. "It was my mum who defeated him. She sacrificed herself for me, so when You-Know-Who tried to hit me with the killing curse, that's why it backfired. I had nothing to do with it, absolutely nothing. It would have killed me if Mum hadn't done what she did."

"Well, I still think you're wonderful," Ginny said. "I always wondered what it was that defeated him. Even though it was your mum, it doesn't change how I think of you."

Harry smiled gently at her, and they drew away from the embrace. "Today was really scary," he admitted, feeling that Ginny deserved to know how he felt, since once again she'd poured out her heart to him. "That spider, it just ... died. You have no idea what it was like."

"I don't want to know," Ginny said, shuddering. "Neville said the Cruciatus was awful, too. Did your conference with Moody make you feel any better?"

"Yeah, it did actually," Harry replied. "He gave us books to read. Neville's is on Herbology, and mine's on Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"That's good," Ginny said.

"I miss my parents sometimes," Harry told her. "And to think, they just died like that spider. No time to do or say anything. You-Know-Who just killed them, just like that."

"I wonder what made him go so bad," Ginny said, looking sad. "He could have been such a nice boy. Do you think he was abused or something? Mum told me once that some people who are abused become abusive themselves."

"Yeah, he might've been," said Harry.

"Well, I know you're not like him, even though you were treated badly," Ginny said. "Why couldn't he rise above it, like you?"

"I don't know," Harry said. "Maybe he didn't have people like you, or Ron, or Hermione, or Sirius, or Remus. I don't know how I would have turned out if I didn't have you guys. Listen, do you want to know a secret?"

"What?"

"The Sorting Hat told me I'd be good for Slytherin. I told it no, I didn't want to. Hagrid had told me that there wasn't a witch or wizard who'd gone bad who wasn't in Slytherin. I guess he'd forgotten about who he thought was Sirius, but turned out to be Peter. He was a Gryffindor, you know. When I found out about that last year, and also after a certain comment Cedric Diggory made, it got me thinking. Cedric said, "One fourth of the population can't be labelled automatically evil when they turn eleven years old, can they?" He said that at my birthday party, and he's got a point. I'd never really thought about it before, but Cedric's smart, not dumb like Ron thinks. All Slytherins can't be evil, can they?"

"I agree," said Ginny. "They can't all be rotten to the core. One fourth of the population can't be just plain evil. Maybe it's just those certain traits that turn out more dark wizards."

"Yeah, that's true. I wonder what would have happened if I had gone into Slytherin, though."

"My dunderhead of a brother would've been really stupid about it," Ginny scowled. "I know how he is about Slytherins."

"Maybe I should talk to him," Harry said thoughtfully. "You just can't have all Slytherins being evil, it's impossible. I was really silly to believe that they all were. I mean, Malfoy's rotten, and Pansy's awful, and Crabbe and Goyle are just dumb, but what about the others? Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, Millicent Bulstrode, Daphne Greengrass?"

"Wow, you are observant, Harry. You memorized all their names?"

Harry blushed. "Yeah, I guess I pay attention, don't I?"

"More than I do," she giggled.

"And I've also been thinking about the end of first year," Harry continued. "Of course, you hadn't started Hogwarts yet, but it was when Hermione, Ron, Neville, and I won the house cup for Gryffindor. Now that I think about it, it was kind of mean for Dumbledore to announce that Slytherin won and then just snatch the victory right out of their hands. I mean, I was smirking at the time because I thought they deserved it, but that was back when I thought they were all evil. It was great that we won the cup, but couldn't Dumbledore have awarded us the points before the feast began, so he didn't have to make it look like the Slytherins won but then oops, no, they didn't?"

"I've never really thought about it," Ginny admitted. "But I see your point."

"I was more laughing at the look on Malfoy's face," Harry said. "But as I said, not all Slytherins are like Malfoy and You-Know-Who, are they?"

"No, I suppose not," said Ginny, yawning. "Listen, Harry, thanks for talking. I'm going to try to get some sleep now, I'm exhausted. I'll see you in the morning, all right?"

"All right, Gin," Harry said. "I think I'm going to do the same. Sleep well."

"You, too," replied the redhead. They smiled at each other, and then they made their way up to their separate dormitories.

Harry read his Defense Against the Dark Arts book from Moody by wandlight until he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. His last thought was of the Slytherins. He remembered Dumbledore saying Voldemort might return at some point. If Harry could help so that not all the Slytherins would join him, he would. He would make them see that there was another way, a better way. He was going to help end the Slytherin "all are evil" stereotype. He hadn't had a lot of time to think about it before, but over the past few months, little thoughts like this had consumed his mind. He was thankful that he was getting very friendly with Cedric, for the kind-hearted Hufflepuff had definitely caused him to think, and Peter's betrayal had also let him know that Gryffindors could go bad, too.

He also thought of Ginny, of the struggle she was going through. He was worried about his therapy session tomorrow afternoon, but also thankful that he had a friend like Ginny. He'd never been so open with anyone before, but it was almost automatic when it came to Ginny. Something about her just made him want to talk. He hoped that Remus's therapy session would also benefit him. It was not that he didn't appreciate Remus, far from it. But it was much easier talking to someone who had been through a traumatic situation like his.

He hoped that Ginny would sleep well, and that her thoughts wouldn't be haunted by Voldemort. He thought of Neville, and hoped that his sleep would continue to be undisturbed, like it was now. Harry closed his eyes, and before he knew it, he was fast asleep.


	17. Therapy

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thanks so much for the feedback! I hope you enjoy this chappie!

Chapter 17: Therapy

Sirius walked through the halls of Hogwarts. He had been strolling for about forty-five minutes, just remembering the place. Now he was heading to Dumbledore's office, where he'd told Harry to meet him. Ginny and Remus were already having their therapy session, in another room. Once Harry got to Dumbledore's office, Sirius would show him where that room was, because that would be where Harry would be having his session, right after Ginny.

The black-haired man couldn't wait to see his godson again. True, it had only been a week since he'd seen him, but the longing was unmistakable. He wanted to make sure his "kiddo" was safe, and he vowed he'd never let anyone hurt him again.

One thing he was going to have to try hard to do was hold his temper during Harry's session with Remus. He knew that many things Harry would tell him about the Dursleys would get him all riled up. "Listen to me," Remus had said to him that morning. "I know that you're very angry about what Harry's been through, and so am I. But when he's talking about it, you mustn't get upset, Sirius. That's the last thing he's going to want to see. He needs support, not anger. Plus, if you get angry, he might think you're angry with him. He's had people angry with him his entire life, and may mistake your temper as anger towards him, not on his behalf. I don't want to have to tell you to leave the room, because I think you need to be there too, and Harry needs you there for him. But you have to promise me that you're going to hold yourself together."

Sirius had agreed, telling himself that he had to be strong for Harry. But he couldn't help the anger and guilt that bubbled up inside him. He could hear the taunting voice of nightmare-James in his head, telling him Harry's suffering was all his fault. The accusatory look in his best friend's eyes that he had to see almost every night just about killed him emotionally.

"Fizzing whizzbee," Sirius said to the gargoyle, and it sprang aside to allow him entrance.

"Hello, Sirius, my lad," Dumbledore greeted him cheerfully. "How are you this morning?"

"I'm fine, Albus," Sirius said. He had to admit that a big part of him was still not happy with Dumbledore for leaving Harry with the Dursleys. Another part of him told him to let it go, that Dumbledore had meant his godson no harm, but he couldn't help feeling this strong resentment.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" Dumbledore asked him.

"No, thanks. Harry will be coming in just a minute," Sirius answered, "and then we'll be heading to our first session."

Dumbledore sighed and put a comforting hand on Sirius's shoulder. "There's no need to hide it, my boy," he said softly. "I know you're still angry with me, and you have every right to be. But I assure you that I did not mean for this to happen. Harry's a strong boy, though, Sirius. With you and Remus's help, he will be fine. I am sure that sharing things with young Miss Weasley is also helping him. Friends are a great comfort, are they not?"

"They can save your soul," Sirius said quietly. "Growing up in my family, I don't know how I would have turned out if not for the Marauders. Would I have succumbed to my family's bigotry and insane pureblood fanatics? Would I have just been another Black?" he spat.

"There is no use thinking about what would have happened," Dumbledore said. "You had your friends, and they led you down your path. But it was also because of you, Sirius. You do not give yourself enough credit. Your friends may have helped, but it was really you who made the decision not to follow in their footsteps."

Sirius nodded, but inside, he felt that it was mainly his friends who had saved him from just being yet another stupid, mindless Black who was in to the Dark Arts and thought blood purity was the best thing in the world.

After a couple of minutes, the two men heard someone else ascending the spiral staircase. There was a knock on the door. "Come in," Dumbledore called. In walked Harry, looking worried and nervous.

"Hey kiddo," Sirius said, catching Harry in a hug. "How've you been?"

"Alright," Harry muttered. "How about you?"

"Good, good," Sirius said, sounding cheerful for Harry's sake. "Remus is in another room with Ginny now. They'll be done in about five minutes, though. So it's time we headed there. This room is a very special room. Us Marauders used it all the time," he said with a grin.

"Oh really?" Harry said, sounding interested. "Where is it?"

"It's on the seventh floor, near the statue of Barnabus the Barmy," Sirius said.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Ah, yes," he sighed, reminiscing.

"I've never seen it before, I don't think," said Harry.

"Well, you'll love it!" Sirius said jovially.

"Goodbye, boys," Dumbledore said. "Would you like a lemon drop before you go?"

"Um, no, thanks," Harry said, and Sirius declined as well. They wished the Headmaster a good day, and started walking along the corridors.

"Now, this room," Sirius said, figuring he'd try to get Harry's mind off uncomfortable things by telling him a little more about the Marauders. "This wonderful room is not on the Marauders' Map. The reason for this is because we do want the next generation of mischief-makers to know the secrets of Hogwarts, but we do not want to share all of them! We only want to share the special ones with the people who are worthy of knowing them!"

"And I'm worthy then?" Harry asked, a glow of mischief beginning to shine in his green eyes.

"I think you are, kiddo," Sirius grinned. "But when we were in school, we wanted to have a place that absolutely nobody would find if they ever got hold of the map by accident. I'm sure other students have found it before, but our band of Marauders always liked to believe we were the only ones who knew where it was. We always used it to practice our Animagus transformations while we were learning."

"How did you discover it?" Harry asked curiously.

"Ah, it's called exploration, my boy," Sirius chuckled. "What did you think we did at night, while everyone was in bed?"

"Play pranks on people," Harry suggested.

"Yeah, there was that," Sirius said, "and there was lots of exploration. It was Remus who actually found the place. I'll show you just how he found it, once we get there."

They walked in silence until they got to the seventh floor. Right near the statue of Barnabus the Barmy was a blank stretch of wall. Ginny and Remus were standing there. Ginny looked as if she'd been crying. Harry figured that she had probably talked a little about her bad experience with Tom, and it had caused her emotions to run wild again. She smiled weakly at Harry. "Hi, Harry," she said softly. "Hi, Sirius."

"Hey, Gin," Harry said, smiling gently back at her.

"Hello, Ginny," Sirius said, making a face at her which made her laugh.

"Thank you, Professor," she said to Remus, shaking his hand.

"No problem, Ginny," Remus said, compassion in his eyes. "Take care of yourself. I'll see you next week, all right?"

"All right," Ginny said, slowly walking away from the three remaining people. "See you in the common room, Harry," she called over her shoulder. Harry waved at her.

"Hey, cub," Remus said, ruffling Harry's hair fondly. "How are you?"

"Um, I'm fine," Harry replied, feeling his nerves jangle again. Now that all three of them were here, he felt as if a huge weight had landed on him. How was he supposed to talk about everything that had happened? Would Sirius and Remus understand? Would they be disgusted by how weak he was when he finally admitted how he'd let the Dursleys do whatever the hell they wanted to him? True, he'd heard over and over again that it wasn't his fault, and that his guardians loved him, but he was so foreign to that concept that it was going to take time for him to fully believe it.

"It's going to be okay," Remus soothed, seeing the look on Harry's face. "We'll do everything we can to make sure you're comfortable. We're not going to force you to talk about anything you don't want to, but as we said before, it'll make you feel better to get it all out."

Harry sighed and nodded, knowing that he had to get this over with.

"Want me to tell the story of how Moony found this room we're about to enter?" Sirius asked.

"Sure," Harry replied.

"Here it is, then," Sirius said. "Remus was panicking about a piece of homework we had to do. This was back in our second year. He was pacing up and down, like this." He paced until he was in front of the blank wall, then turned around and paced back to where Harry was standing. "And then he did it again," he said, doing the same thing a second time. "And once again," he said, repeating the process yet again.

Harry was amused by Sirius's antics. He was about to ask what this was accomplishing, but found that his words died in his throat, because he suddenly saw a door appear where the wall had been. He gasped in surprise, although he knew he shouldn't be shocked at anything about the magical world anymore. You never knew what could happen next at Hogwarts or in the wizarding world.

Remus opened the door, and led the way into a comfortable-looking room. There was a big couch in the room, big enough for all three of them to sit on. The room felt spacious, and in no way was it claustrophobic.

"Wow," Harry breathed. "How the heck did this room just appear?"

"Well," Remus smiled, "this room is called the Room of Requirement. When you pace to the wall and back three times, you need to be thinking of whatever you need or want to do at the current time. When the door appears, you open it, and you walk into a room with exactly the things you need in it."

"So you're telling me," Harry said in wonder, "that if I wanted a drink of water, I could just think of it, and then walk into this room and there'd be a glass of water sitting here?"

"Yep," Sirius grinned. "It also happens when you're inside the room, too. Like this. I'd like a hot chocolate. That would be really nice." He closed his eyes and appeared to be thinking. Suddenly, a little table appeared right next to the couch. A mug of hot chocolate was sitting on the table.

"Wow," Harry said. "That's amazing!"

"Yeah, it is," Sirius agreed. "You don't know how many times us Marauders used it."

"I bet," Harry said. "So this is the room we'll always be using?"

"It is," Remus answered.

"Now, kiddo," Sirius said, "if it will make you feel any better, would you like to drink a Calming Potion before we get started? It'll probably make you feel less uneasy."

"Um ..." Harry said, feeling uncomfortable. He'd been told all his life that he just had to deal with things as they were. He shouldn't be asking for any aids to help him. He'd learned from the Dursleys that asking for help was a sign of weakness.

Remus saw the expression on Harry's face and immediately reassured him. "Harry, having something to help you is not a sign of you being weak. Sometimes we all need something to calm ourselves down. If Sirius and I can help you make this easier in any way, we'll do whatever it takes."

Harry looked into his guardians' eyes and saw nothing but truth there, so he slowly agreed. Remus took a vial of calming potion out of his robes pocket and handed it to Harry. "Drink this," he told him softly. Harry took the potion and gulped it down. It didn't taste too nice, but immediately, he started to feel the effects. He felt a little more at ease, and was thankful to his guardians for suggesting this remedy. "That helps," he told them.

"I'm glad, cub," Remus said. He and Sirius settled down on the couch so they were sitting either side of him.

"Now," Remus continued, "just to start off with, I'd like to ask you about yesterday. Sirius and I both heard about what happened in Professor Moody's class, as we said before."

"Yeah," Harry sighed, the memories coming back to him. He kept picturing that spider suddenly dying, being struck by the killing curse. It was true that he'd seen it done on humans, too, both in his dreams and at the Quidditch World Cup, but found it so horrible that he'd tried to block it out of his mind. Every time he pictured it being done on that Muggle man in his dream, Mr. Crouch in his dream, or those two Muggle children at the World Cup, he immediately started picturing the spider instead, because he found it easier to bear, although the spider still was horrible.

Remus and Sirius saw the distant look in Harry's eyes as he visualized the memories. "I think it was wrong of Moody to make you stay in the class to see that," Sirius said, resisting the urge to growl. He blamed Dumbledore also; how could the old fool make this boy again see something that had haunted him and given him nightmares?

"It's okay, Siri," Harry said in a brave voice. "I had to see it. It's what all the other students had to see, so I just had to deal with it. It was part of the lesson."

"But Harry, you're so young," Sirius insisted. "Dumbledore shouldn't have let Moody show any of you. You shouldn't have to see magic like that at such a young age."

"But Moody was right," Harry said gently. His guardians thought he sounded wise beyond his years, and it broke their hearts. He should have been allowed to be a child. "What if Voldemort returns? We have to know what we're up against."

"I still think it's wrong," Sirius said, "and especially for you."

Harry just shook his head. "There's nothing I can do about it now," he muttered. "But yeah, it was horrible."

"How did the other students handle it?" asked Remus.

"Some of them were talking about it in wonder," Harry said, disgust starting to show in his voice. He remembered Seamus Finnigan saying "Wow, look how that spider just snuffed it!" How could he have taken it so lightly? Even though it was just a spider who had been killed, it just went to show that that could be done to a human being.

"I'm sure that when they really thought about it, though, they realized it's a horrible thing to do," Remus soothed.

"Yeah, I suppose," Harry said. "I guess they thought it was kind of fascinating because it was only a spider. But you know what I've seen." He found that the effects of the calming potion were allowing him to talk more freely. It wasn't forcing him to talk, though, which he was glad about. It was just allowing him to have the calmness and the freedom to express himself, but it still let him make decisions for himself.

"I just can't stop thinking about my parents," he continued softly. "And those kids at the Quidditch World Cup. Just ... gone. Just like that. And then the Cruciatus was horrible too. I saw Voldemort do it to Barty Crouch, Jr. in my dream, and that Death Eater cursed that girl at the World Cup just before she died. It's horrible. Why do people do things like that? Why?"

"We don't know, kiddo," Sirius sighed sadly, his voice full of emotion as he too thought of James and Lily, two people who were so vibrant and full of life. He remembered how he'd found James's body at Godric's Hollow, and the look on his face when he found him showed that he had fought to the very end. He was still holding his wand in his hand, God bless him. He couldn't get the image of Lily's green eyes out of his head, either, lying by Harry's crib. Her beautiful eyes had had a look of terror in them, of pleading, as if she was saying, please, please, please spare my child's life. Sirius forcibly choked the emotion back. This was Harry's time now.

"Neville was really upset," Harry said. "You know, about his parents and all."

"I can imagine," Remus said gently. He saw a look of worry on the young teen's face and looked at him. "What are you worried about, Harry?" he asked. When the boy remained silent, he asked the same question again, gently.

Finally Harry answered, but he wasn't looking either of his guardians in the eye; he was too ashamed. "Sometimes I worry that I'll turn out like him, like Voldemort," he said in almost a whisper. "Not only do I look just like he did when he was young, but I grew up pretty much like he did. I don't want to turn out like that."

Sirius and Remus were shocked that he would even worry about that. This was a beautiful, loving young man who was not like Voldemort in any way, shape, or form. "Harry, look at me," Remus coaxed, lifting Harry's chin so he could look into his emerald eyes, just like his mother's. The look in them was full of sadness and worry. "Listen, you're not going to turn out like him," Remus told him. "Why would you even think that you would? It's true that you look similar to the younger Voldemort, but why should that have anything to do with how you turn out? And you were able to rise above the hardships you faced while growing up. You have people who love you, Harry, people who care about you. You know Sirius and I care about you, and you have friends who would do anything to help you. Neither of us think Voldemort ever really had friends. He has his Death Eaters, but they're not really friends, they're just servants who do his bidding."

"There's no need to be ashamed, Harry," Sirius added. "It's not your fault that you grew up in the environment you did. It just makes me feel terrible that I didn't think that night and went running after Peter instead of caring for you first."

"Don't blame yourself," Harry said, looking at Sirius intently.

"And that's exactly what makes you different from Voldemort," Remus said. "Tom Riddle always likes to blame others for everything. Of course, Sirius and I have no idea of what the orphanage was like that he grew up in, but Dumbledore understands a lot about psychology. He believes that young Tom never had the compassion and sympathy for other people that you do, and he always wanted to get revenge on the people who hurt him. You didn't even want Vernon Dursley arrested for the crime he committed against you. Voldemort would have eventually wanted him dead."

"I don't want him dead," Harry mumbled quietly. "I don't think I ever will, either. I heard someone say once that two wrongs don't make a right."

"Yeah, that's true," Remus agreed.

"But I still worry about the whole Voldemort thing, though," Harry said. "There are times when I want Draco Malfoy to just disappear, and I was happy last year when Hermione slapped him. I know that was wrong, and I shouldn't have felt that way, but I couldn't help it."

"But you don't want Draco Malfoy dead, do you?" prompted Remus gently.

"Of course not!" Harry cried immediately. "I want him to go away, but not to die."

"Well, as I said before, you're not at all like Voldemort," Sirius reassured him. "The fact that you knew that taking pleasure in Malfoy's pain was wrong also shows that. Harry, kiddo, none of us are perfect. I can't even tell you the amount of times I've felt pleasure when someone I don't like gets hurt. But I don't want to see them dead. The only exception was Peter, because I thought he deserved it. But let me tell you something. When you told me at the Shrieking Shack to spare Peter's life, it taught me a very important lesson. Just as you said, two wrongs don't make it right. I wonder, would I have felt satisfied after killing Peter? Honestly, I don't know. It wouldn't have brought James and Lily back. I have to be honest with you, though. I'm sure there will still be times when I'm angry enough to want to kill him. I'm very rash, and that's a major part of my personality. Now that I've got you in my life, and I have the responsibility of taking care of you, I have to try to tone it down. Remember how I wanted to fight the Death Eaters at the Quidditch World Cup? That's my rashness coming through. But you told me not to, and you always come first. You mean the world to me, kiddo. It was my rashness that caused me twelve years in Azkaban. It was my rashness that caused me to lose all that time that I could have spent with you." He gently took Harry's hand in his. "Would you like to know something else, Harry?" he asked gently.

"What is it?" Harry asked, his voice muffled. He had his head in his other hand, and was trying to hide the tears that were coming into his eyes.

"It was my rashness that almost caused the Marauders to fall apart in our sixth year," Sirius admitted. Remus immediately knew what he was talking about: the Prank. "I was a stupid idiot, Harry. Thinking about it now, I really didn't want Snape dead, and it was a horrible thing to do to use Remus's condition as a weapon against him. At the time I was just so angry and wanted him to get scared, I never meant for it to go as far as to get him killed. I'm just extremely lucky that James was able to fix my stupid mistake." He sighed. "Remus and I didn't talk for a whole month, after that incident took place. My hatred for Snape totally took over, and even though I still think he's a slimy git, he doesn't deserve to die. But Moony forgave me, God knows how. I didn't deserve to be forgiven."

"That's in the past now, Sirius," Remus reminded him. "We all learn from our mistakes, right?"

"Yeah," Sirius said. Remus could still remember the day he'd finally forgiven him. He'd stumbled across his black-haired friend sitting in the deserted Quidditch stands that night, crying. Sirius Black never cried. It was then that Remus had known how sorry Sirius was for the Prank. He had been crying desperately, thinking he'd lost nearly all his friendships, for James had been furious with him too. Peter had been the only one to talk to him in that month, the only one out of any of the Marauders.

"So," said Sirius, "I never want to hear you say you're worried about turning out like Voldemort again. Okay?"

Harry finally looked up, ashamed at the tears in his eyes. He could just hear his Aunt Petunia screeching at him, "Wipe away those foul tears, boy. To cry is to be weak, you stupid ingrate. Now get to your cupboard!" Harry had been five years old at the time and had just burned himself while trying to make breakfast for the family. After that, he had firmly believed himself weak if he showed any emotion. Unbeknownst to him, Sirius had also grown up learning the same lesson from his own parents. He mused about this as he took Harry into his arms and held him tight, and Harry finally let the tears fall. Sirius never thought anyone else was weak for crying, especially not Harry who had been through so much, but he hardly ever cried himself. True, he'd cried after the Prank, and he'd cried in Azkaban. But those were the only times he could remember doing so after hearing his parents yell at him for his weakness. That was why he had laughed at the crater on the street, the screaming Muggles, the burning bodies, the Ministry Aurors who took him away. A Black laughed it off when something was wrong. A Black simply did not cry. Sirius hated being a Black, but there were just some family traits he could not escape. Every Black had a little gleam of insanity in their eyes sometimes, and Sirius had worn that same expression on the street that day, laughing his head off. He hadn't stopped laughing until a stunner from none other than Kingsley Shacklebolt had hit him straight in the chest.

Remus joined in the group hug, and Harry couldn't help but let a few sobs escape. "It's okay, kiddo," Sirius soothed. "I know you've been told it's weak to cry, I was told the same thing. But I don't think you're weak. You've been through so much, Harry, it's okay to let go." At this, Harry started crying harder, and Remus began stroking his hair comfortingly as he sobbed. It felt as if a huge weight was being lifted off Harry's shoulders, and the tears he was shedding alleviated some of the pain he had been carrying for so long.

After he had calmed down and his sobs had subsided, he lifted his head. There were no words to express how grateful he was for his guardians' help, but no words were needed. His expression said it all.

"I think that's enough for today," Remus then said. "Our time's not up yet, but I think we've worn you out. Is there anything else you need before you go back to your common room?"

"No, it's okay," Harry said, blowing his nose on a handkerchief. "Thanks again, both of you."

"It's all right," Remus said. "Any time you need to talk, even if you're not in a scheduled session, you can call us through the mirror any time you want. If you really need us, we'll come right to Hogwarts."

"Yes, we will," Sirius confirmed. "We promise you, we're never going to let you feel unworthy or unloved ever again."

Harry managed to smile softly at both of them. The two Marauders and their pup walked to the door and opened it. They headed out of the room, and then walked along the corridors until they had to go their separate ways.

"Please send us an owl during the week, or use the mirror," Sirius said. "We really want to hear from you. We hope you have a wonderful week. Don't overwork yourself, and remember, pranks are the best! But don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Oh, Sirius," Remus chuckled good-naturedly. "He's basically saying do anything you want." He gave Harry a smile. "There's nothing ol' Padfoot wouldn't do."

"I'll never stop being a Marauder," Sirius grinned. Harry grinned back and hugged the two people who had brought so much joy and light into his life. "Take care of yourselves," he said sincerely.

"We will," they promised him. They waved as Harry began to climb the stairs to Gryffindor Tower. As he walked, he thought to himself that that therapy session had gone much better than he had originally thought. He knew they'd get harder as time passed, but with Remus and Sirius by his side, there was no doubt that he'd be fine.


	18. SPEW, the Imperius, and More

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thanks so much for all of your wonderful feedback!

Just to let you guys know, this will probably be the last update until Monday because I am spending the weekend hanging out with friends. I just thought I'd let you know in advance.

Please enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 18: S.P.E.W, the Imperius, and More

It was a few days later, and Harry, Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George were all sitting in the Gryffindor common room, along with many other students.

"I can't believe Hermione's in the library again," grumbled Ron. "She spends all her time there these days. And the way she eats, it's incredible."

"Yeah," said Fred, catching on to the conversation. "You'd think it was her last meal or something, that she'd never be given food again."

"She's probably up to something interesting," said Ginny. Ron snickered. He and Harry were in the middle of doing their Divination homework, making up horrible months for themselves. Harry had made up a prediction that he was going to die by the hand of the giant squid, who would toss him into the lake and hold him under until he drowned. Ron said he'd get food poisoning and be sick all week. Fred and George were helping them out, suggesting more doom and gloom for them to add.

Neville came into the common room then, from the dormitory. He walked over to the couch and sat down next to Ron. "I'm really nervous about tomorrow," he admitted to Harry. "Moody's going to be putting the Imperius Curse on each of us, remember?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "I wonder what it'll feel like."

"I don't know if I want to find out," replied Neville.

A few minutes later, Hermione trounced into the common room, holding a basket in her hands and looking extremely pleased with herself. "What's that?" said Ron immediately, looking confusedly at the basket.

"I'm about to explain, if you'd only have patience, Ronald," said Hermione reproachfully. She sat herself on the couch next to Harry and showed him and Ron the basket. Inside were about fifty badges, all with the motto S.P.E.W. on them.

"Spew?" said Ron at once, frowning.

"Not spew, Ron," said Hermione crossly. "S.P.E.W."

"And what on Earth does that stand for? Is this some crazy scheme of yours to get us to study harder or something?"

"No, Ronald, it's not."

"Why do you always call me by my full name when you're annoyed with me?" asked Ron, grinning.

Hermione did not answer his question. Instead she just glared at him and said, "S.P.E.W. stands for the Society for the Protection of Elfish Welfare. All three of us are going to try to make things better for the house-elves, along with anyone else who wants to help. I'm the President of this committee, Ron, you're secretary, and Harry, you're the treasurer."

"Excuse me?" said Ron, gaping like a fish out of water. "Hermione, you're crazy! How many times do I have to tell you? The house-elves LIKE what they do! They don't WANT to be free!" He gave her an exasperated look.

"Oh, Ron!" said Hermione angrily. "We should try to make CHANGES to our world! Don't you understand? This slave labor is BARBARIC! Haven't you ever studied history? In the Muggle world, slavery was outlawed YEARS ago!"

"So that's what you've spent all your time in the library doing?" asked Harry. He didn't want to upset the bushy-haired girl, who'd obviously worked really hard on this, but at the same time, he didn't want to anger the house-elves. He'd heard about how devoted they were to their masters. Dobby had really been the exception to the rule.

"Yes, Harry. Here," snapped Hermione, truly losing patience with Ron. She forced a badge into his hand, and put one in Harry's also. "You are going to wear these badges," she told them, sounding more like Professor McGonnagall than they'd ever heard her sound before. "And you are not going to complain, either of you!"

"Okay," Harry acquiesced, but Ron continued to give her exasperated looks. He however put the badge on, because it looked like Hermione was ready to hex him.

"Is there anybody else who wants to participate?" Hermione called out. Fred and George gave their answer by snickering, but Neville gave her a smile and took a badge from the basket, and she beamed at him. Ginny also took a badge. "This world needs reform," Hermione said formally. "Thank you for agreeing to help. I'm going to bed." With that, she flounced up to her dormitory.

"Insane," muttered Ron. "Completely and utterly insane."

xxx

The next day, Professor Moody's class was ripe with action. Harry watched as the Imperius Curse was cast on his classmates. He tried not to smile as Ron sang the English National Anthem at the top of his lungs. This curse was a serious business, it was really no laughing matter at all. Neville did some extremely interesting acrobatics, and even Hermione was reduced to someone who danced the Macarena. Ron leaned over and whispered in Harry's ear, "Moody should have made her proclaim to the whole world that all books are stupid."

When it was Harry's turn, he made his way nervously to the front of the room. "Now, Potter," Moody growled, "as you have witnessed me doing this with the other students, you should know what is about to happen. Are you ready, boy?"

"Yes, sir," muttered Harry. He was always intimidated by this man.

"Very well," said Moody. Pointing his wand at the black-haired youth, he intoned, "Imperio."

A light, floaty feeling swept over Harry. He suddenly felt so unbelievably happy, like absolutely nothing in the world could ever bother him again. All thoughts and nervousness left his head, and he felt the incredible compulsion to do whatever he was asked to doo.

"Jump onto the desk," said a sudden voice in his head. "You know you want to, jump onto the desk."

Harry was about to jump, but suddenly, another little voice spoke. "Why should I?" it said. "It's a stupid thing to do, really."

"Do as you're told, boy," the other voice drawled. "Jump onto the desk."

"No, I don't think I will, thank you," argued the other voice.

Suddenly, the light, floaty feeling disappeared, and Harry felt pain lance through his legs. He realized this was because he'd tried to jump and not to jump at the same time.

"Very good, very good," growled Moody. "That's it, Potter! You see, class? He was fighting it! Potter was fighting it! You're so much like your father, boy. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named tried to cast Imperius on him once. Tried to get him to kill your mother. Didn't work. Lily was able to get him back to his senses. They'd be proud of you, boy."

A flush of embarrassment came over Harry's cheeks. He went back to his seat, and Ron gave him an impressed smile. Hermione was also looking happy that Harry had fought it, but upset that she hadn't been able to do it herself.

After the lesson was over, the trio went to dinner and talked with Ginny. After they had eaten, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione told Harry they had homework to do. Hermione had gotten some extra from Professor Vector, and Ron had some Divination he had not finished. Ginny had an essay on Defense to do for Moody. So that left Harry free. He told them he'd go back to the common room, that he'd meet them when they came back from the library. So they went their separate ways.

As Harry was heading back to Gryffindor Tower, he saw Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang coming from the other direction. With embarrassment, Harry remembered the slight crush he'd had on Cho the year before, and was glad that he was able to talk to her freely now without feeling totally out of his league. He wanted to become friendly with her, to not just think of her as someone who was pretty.

"Hey, Harry. What's up, mate?" Cedric asked.

"Hi, Harry, how are you?" Cho asked, smiling at the raven-haired boy. "Why are you all alone? Where are your friends?"

"They had homework to do," said Harry. "I finished all mine, so I'm free."

"Well, in that case," said Cedric, "how would you like to come and hang out with us? I just invited Cho to the Hufflepuff common room. I was wondering if you wanted to come too."

"Is that allowed?" asked Harry. "People are allowed to socialize with different houses if they want?"

"Yeah, they can," Cedric smiled. "They don't do it that often, but it's allowed. I asked Professor Sprout if it was all right to bring Cho. I'm sure she won't mind if you come as well."

A smile broke out on Harry's face. "Sure, why not?"

"That's great!" Cho said. As they walked through the halls, Harry wondered where the Hufflepuff common room was. When they got there, he realized it was near the kitchens.

Cedric gave the password to a portrait of a middle-aged man. "Episky," he said.

"What does that mean?" asked Harry curiously, as they walked inside.

"That's a healing spell that you'll learn in a couple of years," Cho answered.

Cedric told them that he was going to go ask Professor Sprout about Harry hanging out there. He came back a minute later, grinning, giving him a thumbs-up. So the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw pupil sat down on one of the couches. Cedric and Cho sat next to each other, with Harry sitting next to Cedric.

The common room looked similar to the Gryffindor one, but there were also posters on the walls. One of them said, MORE THAN WE SEEM: WE ARE NOT DUFFERS! Harry remembered what Hagrid had told him when he was eleven and in Diagon Alley with him, that many people thought people in Hufflepuff were dumb with no brains. He also remembered with clarity exactly what Ron thought of Cedric.

"Hello, Harry, Cho! Nice to see you two here!" said Hannah Abbott, coming over and shaking Harry and Cho's hands. "I'm glad you two are Cedric's friends. How's your year going?"

"It's really good so far," said Cho happily. "We're learning so much!"

"Yeah," agreed Harry. "Isn't Moody something else?"

"Yeah, he is," Cedric said. "Has he put the Imperius Curse on any of you yet?"

"He did that to me this afternoon," said Harry. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he continued, "He said I was the only one in the class who was able to fight it."

"Wow, you did?" exclaimed Cedric, pride showing on his face. "That's amazing! I couldn't even do it!"

"I don't know how I could," said Harry.

"Well, you must be made out of really strong stuff," Cedric said.

Harry blushed again. "Thanks," he mumbled.

"So what did you think of the World Cup, Harry, Hannah?" asked Cho, changing the subject. She obviously knew what Cedric had thought of it already.

"Ron was really mad Bulgaria won," said Harry. "But he did give it to Krum, though. He's one amazing player."

"Yeah, he is, isn't he?" Cho beamed.

"Aw, have you got a crush, Cho?" Cedric teased.

"Oh, stop it! I do not have a crush on Viktor Krum, Cedric Amos Diggory!" Cho scowled good-naturedly.

Cedric laughed. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, sir," Cho giggled.

"I wasn't able to watch the World Cup," said Hannah. "Mum and Dad took me on holiday to Australia. My parents are both Muggles, and Mum's got relatives there."

"That's cool you went there, but too bad about the Cup," said Cedric. "It was really cool."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "I've got Omnioculars with the game still on them, though. So I could always lend them to you sometime if you want to see it."

Hannah looked surprised. "Wow, thanks, Harry," she said. She didn't understand why Harry was even bothering to be nice to her. Two years ago, she was one of the people who had suspected that he was attacking and petrifying people.

The four students continued to talk for a while, and some other Hufflepuffs came over, including Ernie McMillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and Susan Bones. Some of Cedric's mates also stopped by to talk. Their names were Malcolm, Stanley, and Jeff. The four of them shared a dormitory.

One of the topics of conversation was the Triwizard Tournament. "Are you going for it, Cedric?" Harry asked. "I know you'll be seventeen soon."

"Yeah, tomorrow, as a matter of fact," Cedric grinned.

"Well, happy birthday!"

"Thanks, mate. As far as the Triwizard goes, yeah, I reckon I'll go for it."

"Be careful, Cedric!" said Cho in concern. "It sounds like it's really dangerous! I don't want you getting hurt!"

"Don't worry, Cho," said Cedric, his expression soft as he looked at her. "Remember, Dumbledore's taken plenty of precautions. It doesn't sound like anything bad's going to happen this time. Plus, there's definitely no guarantee that I'll even get chosen. I'm sure plenty of people will put their names in."

"I bet you'll get it, though," said Harry.

"I agree, Ced," said Hannah. "You're one of the nicest and smartest people I know."

"Aw, thanks," said Cedric. "Well, how I think is, what's the use in being nasty to anybody? I try to live by the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would like them to do to you."

"I like that rule," Cho said. "It's a great way to live."

The night went on, and eventually Harry found himself getting tired. He seemed to pass it on to Cho, because she started yawning. Cedric laughed and asked them whether they wanted to go to bed. They both agreed and thanked him profusely for letting them come. They said goodbye to Cedric's mates and the Hufflepuffs from Harry's year.

"You can come any time," Cedric smiled. "We'll be happy to have you, right, mates?"

"Right on, Ced," said Malcolm, pounding Cedric on the back. Cho gave Cedric a quick hug, and Harry shook his hand. They headed out of the common room, and then Harry and Cho said goodbye, heading back to their separate towers. As Harry walked along, he knew that it wouldn't matter to him what Ron said about Cedric being a duffer. In Harry's mind, Cedric was one of the politest people he knew; he wasn't just some dumb pretty boy who strutted around, showing off his good looks and popularity. He was honored to be one of his friends, and he'd just have to try to get Ron to accept that.

xxx

The next few days passed by uneventfully. Snape was still his usual nasty self, docking points from Gryffindor for the smallest of things. Hermione did her best to try to help Neville so that he didn't melt another cauldron. As far as Hagrid's class went, he was going so far as to make everyone take the Blast-Ended Skrewts for a walk.

"And why would we want to do THAT?" sneered Draco Malfoy.

"Because I told yeh ter, Malfoy," growled Hagrid in a voice that brooked no argument.

Harry also often saw Cedric and Cho walking together in the halls. They were becoming closer, and sometimes he would look out his window and see them flying together on the Quidditch pitch. With both of them being Seekers, it wasn't surprising that they shared that love of flying. Harry knew exactly how they felt.

Soon, the day came for his second therapy session with Remus. Sirius had begged to come again this time, so Harry sat in the Room of Requirement with both of them once again sitting on either side of him. He again took a calming potion and then waited for Remus's first question.

"Today," Remus said gently, "we should start talking about your childhood with the Dursleys. I am interested to know what your schooling was like. Did you have any friends in your Muggle school? What did you do when you got home?"

Harry didn't like to relive this, but found that talking about this was better than talking about the abuse. "Well," he started hesitantly, "I really didn't have any friends at Muggle school. Dudley always scared them away. He always told everyone that I was strange and freaky, so everyone just stayed away from me."

Sirius couldn't help making a growling sound deep within his throat which eerily sounded like an angry dog. Remus gave him a warning look. "You had no friends at all?" he asked, appalled.

"No," said Harry, "everyone just left me alone. If anyone tried to talk to me, Dudley'd beat them up. I didn't want anyone getting beat up, so I just stayed away from people."

"How awful," said Sirius. "You do know that was wrong, don't you?"

"Dudley was just a kid," Harry protested. "It was Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon who probably told him that other children couldn't hang around me. When I got home from school, and also on the weekends, they'd have me do chores."

"What kind of chores?" Remus asked, dreading the answer. "Did Dudley have to do any?"

"No," Harry answered, squirming uncomfortably. "He was allowed to watch television or play on his computer or do whatever he wanted. I had to mow the lawn, cook the meals, load and unload the dishwasher, make the beds. Pretty much everything."

Sirius and Remus were even more appalled. They spent the rest of the session trying to convince Harry that his relatives had been extremely cruel to do that to him. True, doing housework wasn't a bad thing, but to make him do it all and Dudley not do any? And to make a five-year-old boy cook breakfast and risk getting burned? Sirius once again wished he could go to the Dursleys' house and change them all into toads forever.

His two guardians' reassuring words always had an effect on Harry. People speaking in that gentle, loving tone always caused his emotions to churn inside of him. It was as if there was a dam that had built up over the years, which held an endless amount of tears. It seemed like he was crying all the time at the moment. And no matter what the two wizards said, it was difficult not to feel ashamed for doing so. But he did always feel better after being held in their arms, and they once again vowed that they wouldn't ever subject him to treatment like the Dursleys had bestowed upon him.

Harry bid them goodbye at the end of the session, and once again walked back to Gryffindor Tower. As he meandered along, he thought about the week he'd just had. It seemed like this year was his busiest year yet. He had some new friendships like Ginny, Cedric, and Cho, and he was learning some new magic. He smiled as he approached the portrait of the Fat Lady and gave her the password. He was happy he had the rest of the weekend just to chill out and relax, and promised himself he would do just that.


	19. In Memoriam

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Hi all! I am back after a fantastic weekend of friendship and fun!

Thanks so much for the reviews! As for the relationship between Harry and Dudley, don't worry. There will be a chapter much later on in the story where they meet again, and believe me, Harry won't be quite as forgiving as he seems now, because all the bitter memories will come rushing back.

Just to let you know, I will mention someone named Julia in this chapter. You will find out later in the story exactly who she is, but for now I'll tell you she's someone from Remus's past. Just so you're not like, "Who the heck is Julia?" when she's mentioned.

I hope you enjoy this highly emotional chappie. It's not meant to be slash, just deep friendship, but if you want to take it as slash, you can. But that's not how I wanted it to come off.

Chapter 19: In Memoriam

It was a few weeks later, and Sirius and Remus had just finished eating breakfast on one of the first mornings in October. Sirius had told Remus he wanted to take an outing, and he wanted to go to Godric's Hollow, to the cemetery, to see Lily and James's graves.

"Are you sure about this, Padfoot?" asked Remus worriedly, knowing that terrible memories would probably surface for his old friend.

"Moony, it's the first time I've ever been," Sirius told him. It was true that Remus had been to the gravesite plenty of times over the years, but with Sirius being in Azkaban and then on the run for a year, he'd never been. "I want to go."

Remus had a sneaking suspicion that this wasn't at all a good idea, but Sirius wouldn't let it go. So finally, the two friends apparated to Godric's Hollow. The spot where James and Lily's house had been was now totally empty. All the debris from the ruins had been cleared away, and Sirius couldn't stop staring at where it had been. Their home had been such a wonderful place, full of love, life, mischief, and laughter. Even in times of war, Lily and James had tried their hardest to live life to the fullest.

The graveyard was not at all far away from where they had lived, so it was a short distance for Sirius and Remus to walk. It was a rather small cemetery, and it was deserted when they got there. Nothing was said between them as they made their way through the graves; Sirius had a distant look on his face, and Remus wondered why he'd agreed for them to come here.

Finally, they got to a double gravestone. James and Lily had known they might not make it through the war, so they had told Remus, Sirius, and Peter that if something were to happen to them, they wanted to be buried together. So when they had died, their wish had been Remus's command, since he was the only one left to help make their funeral arrangements, with Sirius in Azkaban and Peter being thought dead.

Written on the gravestone, of course, were their birthdays and the day they'd died, along with a short description of them. The description said:

Lily Marie Evans-Potter

Loving wife and mother

Sacrificed herself for her son

Next to that was:

James Henry Potter

Loving husband and father

Lay down his life for his family

Underneath that was a message which was a testament to their love, something they'd both said together on their wedding day.

WE MAY DIE, BUT LOVE DOES NOT:

LOVE IS IMMORTAL

Sirius and Remus just stood there, staring at the grave. Still no words were exchanged between them, for none were needed. They just took the time to remember their old friends, and the fun they'd had together.

Suddenly, Sirius fell to his knees beside the gravestone. Remus knelt next to him, putting an arm around him. He could feel that his old friend was starting to tremble. "Sirius?" he said softly. "Siri, are you all right?"

Sirius said nothing; he was staring blankly at the gravestone with a haunted look in his eyes. The ghosts of Azkaban were apparent in his gaze, and Remus again cursed himself for giving in to this idea of coming here. But at the same time, maybe this would allow Sirius to let go a bit. He hoped he could coax his friend to let some of his buried emotions out.

Sirius then started to whisper something, so quietly that Remus couldn't hear what he was saying. He put his ear right next to Sirius's mouth and his heart broke as he caught the words his companion was whispering.

"I'm so sorry, Lily, James. My fault, all my fault." He continued to say it, his voice growing louder and louder.

"Sirius," Remus said gently, "Sirius, it wasn't your fault. Sirius, listen to me." But the Animagus paid no attention. He kept saying it, over and over again, until eventually he was yelling it at the top of his lungs. "LILY, JAMES, I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN IT, I'M SORRY!" His eyes were overflowing with emotion and they looked the most haunted Remus had ever seen them.

"Sirius, snap out of it!" Remus called, shaking Sirius's shoulders. "Look at me, Sirius, please! It wasn't your fault, it wasn't!"

Sirius gasped, turning to look at Remus so fast his neck cracked. "Yes, yes it was," he cried. "Yes, yes it was! Don't you understand, Remus? I handed them right over to Voldemort! I told Lily and James I'd keep them and Harry safe, and what did I do but hand them over to the one person who could destroy them!" The pain and guilt in Sirius's eyes was overwhelming. "And every night I have to hear it in my dreams, over and over again. I have to hear James tell me I'm guilty. I deserved every second in Azkaban that I got!"

"Sirius, how could you say such a thing?" Remus gasped. "For one thing, you know James would never blame you for what happened. That's not James you're really seeing in your dreams, and you know it. You're not to blame for James and Lily's deaths, you're not. You didn't hand them over to Voldemort, Peter did. How were you to know that Peter was the spy?"

Sirius's face was suddenly filled with such anger that Remus drew back from him. "Aren't I allowed to blame myself for something, Remus?" he roared. "After all, you blame yourself for things that aren't your fault all the time! Didn't you blame yourself for Julia's death for months and months, even though you knew very well that you weren't the fucking werewolf who killed her? Didn't the other Marauders and I tell you over and over again that we were with you the night it happened, that we were in our Animagus forms and you didn't hurt anyone? You didn't have a hand AT All in her death, Remus! You can't possibly say I didn't have a hand in James and Lily's, though! I handed them on a silver platter to Peter, and he handed them over to Voldemort! I was the one who got the ball rolling! I didn't see what was right in front of me because I was too busy suspecting YOU!" His words echoed into the empty graveyard, filling it with such ghosts of anger and sorrow.

Remus's heart was filled with pain at the thought of Julia. Even after all these years, he still loved her. But he knew why Sirius had brought her into this. He again put his hand on his best friend's shoulder and whispered, "Siri, why did you suspect me?"

"Because," Sirius choked out, "you were so distant with all of us! I felt betrayed by you, because after all we had done to tell you Julia's murder was not your doing, it was like you didn't believe us and pulled away from us. You were always off doing something, and grief can do funny things to people, Remus. And Peter," he spat venomously, "was always saying you weren't acting right. He said it so often that he really got me to believe it. Whenever we asked you what you were doing, and whenever we tried to be there for you, you always said you were fine, and you were busy, and you'd talk to us later!"

Remus's expression grew extremely sad. "I should have known," he said softly. "I suppose I can tell you now. The reason why I was so distant back then was because I wasn't allowed to say anything about what I was doing. Dumbledore had me going on missions for him, to try to recruit the werewolves to join ..."

"HE WHAT!" Sirius roared so loudly and angrily it made Remus jump. "HE HAD YOU GOING ON MISSIONS TO SEE THE WEREWOLVES, WHEN HE KNEW HOW JULIA WAS KILLED? HOW DARE HE! HOW FUCKING DARE HE! WHAT AN INSENSITIVE BASTARD!"

"Sirius!" Remus cried. "Listen to me, it's not how you think! Dumbledore didn't make me go on the missions, he just told me about how many werewolves were on Voldemort's side and I volunteered to try to get them to come on ours. He even asked me if I was sure I wanted to do it; he knew how broken up I'd been about Julia. But I agreed to go, because I wanted to make it so that what happened to Julia couldn't happen to any other innocent people. So I went to the werewolf colony. Dumbledore said it was top secret, that I couldn't tell anyone, not even you Marauders and Lily. It was so painful not telling you; I had a feeling that's why you suspected me."

"Oh," Sirius said, his voice soft now. "Did you see ... him?"

"Fenrir Greyback?" Remus said. "Yes, I did."

"And what ... what was that like, facing the man who did what he did to you?"

Another look of heartache crossed Remus's face. "I had to do what I had to do, Siri," he said, trying to sound brave.

"You're too much, Moony. You didn't have to do that. Why do you put yourself in these situations?"

"I owed it to Julia, Siri. Even after what she said to me the last time we met, you know I couldn't hold it against her. And then she was murdered by the same monster I turn into every month, and even now, I still love her. I'd face Greyback all over again, for her sake."

"But Rem, you know what she said the last time you saw her wasn't right!"

"It doesn't matter, old friend. It really doesn't."

"Well, you shouldn't have had to put yourself in that kind of situation," Sirius insisted. "I'm so, so sorry for ever suspecting you were the spy. Pettigrew just wouldn't leave it alone, he kept on and on saying how grief can affect people in strange ways, he just wouldn't let it go."

"It's all right, Pads, you know I've already forgiven you for suspecting me," Remus whispered, putting his arm around Sirius.

"Why, Moony? I don't forgive myself," Sirius said, his voice growing loud again. "And all those years in Azkaban, I thought about it, and I already know why you suspected me, so you don't have to tell me. We all knew there was a spy in Voldemort's ranks, and the funny looks you gave me told me immediately why I was your first and only suspect," he spat, a mountain of self-loathing coloring his voice. "It was the fucking Prank, and don't you dare tell me it wasn't because I know it was! If I could use your condition as a weapon against Snape, you thought, who knows what else I could do? That's why you thought I was betraying James, Lily, and Harry!"

Remus opened his mouth to protest, but Sirius kept shouting. "I told you not to lie to me!" he snarled. "Don't even try to tell me that wasn't the reason, Remus, because I damn well know it was! You know as well as I do what would have happened if you'd killed Snape! You'd have been executed by the Ministry, put down as a dangerous creature, and it would have been my fault! If I could so callously betray you like that, then why shouldn't I be able to betray James and Lily, kill Peter, and then to top it all off, murder a bunch of Muggles?" He was shaking all over, breathing fast, gasping breaths. "I knew that damn Prank would never be behind us! Betrayals like that can never be forgotten, as much as you say you forgave me for it! And I know that's why you didn't try to stop it when I went to Azkaban, you probably thought well, I should have known, now Black's finally gone and shown his true colors, now he can rot there, for all I care, I hope the Dementors suck out his twisted, evil soul!"

At the end of his tirade, he stared into space again, and he couldn't stop the tears from blurring his vision. "Oh God, what've I done?" he whispered as he put his head down so it was almost touching Lily and James's gravestone. "God, Remus, I've ruined everything. What've I done?" His shoulders started shaking, and before he could stop them, harsh, gutwrenching sobs were wracking his body; he was crying harder than he'd ever cried in his life. Remus had tears in his eyes as well, and he felt shame course through him. He couldn't deny that that was the main reason why he'd believed Sirius could betray Lily and James, and kill Peter and the street full of Muggles. He knew there was nothing he could say to convince Sirius that that wasn't what he'd thought. He put his arms around him, whispering soothing words, telling him to finally let all his emotions out. Seeing his friend so heartsick, so broken, hurt him more than he thought was possible. He'd seen Sirius's tears after the Prank, but this was much, much worse. Sirius was crying as though his soul were on fire. Tears poured down his face in streams, and he was shaking so hard in Remus's arms that Remus could hardly hold him. He knew right then and there that it was time to go back home. This had been way more than Sirius could handle. He looked sadly at James and Lily's grave and the beautiful "love is immortal" message written there one more time, and then he picked Sirius up and held him, ready to apparate. You would think this wouldn't be possible, but Remus had a lot of extra strength from being a werewolf, and plus, Sirius was still very, very thin and light from his years in Azkaban. Still holding his sobbing friend, he apparated them back to 804, Lawdershod Avenue, Hogsmeade.

He carried Sirius into the house and up the stairs, and placed him in his room, on his bed. The bed was big enough to fit two people, so Remus curled up next to him.

Sirius could just not stop crying. No matter how many minutes passed, it seemed as though the tears would never run out. Remus could usually keep a strong front while watching other people cry, but after seeing so many never-ending tears, he couldn't help but break down himself. All the guilt he felt for not believing in Sirius's innocence, all the sorrow he felt about Lily and James, all the sadness he'd tried to keep in since Halloween of 1981 flooded out of him. Before they knew it, both friends were weeping, holding each other like they were the only thing that was anchoring them to the world.

Eventually, but what seemed like years and years later, their tears finally stopped. Sirius was exhausted from the display of emotion and looked like he was ready to fall asleep. His eyes were closed and his hands were held in Remus's. "I'm sorry, Remy," he whispered.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Siri," Remus soothed. "It was good that you finally let go."

"Azkaban was so miserable," Sirius confessed. "All I did was sit in my cell all day, and of course, the Dementors didn't help at all. I couldn't help thinking that every moment I was there was what I truly deserved."

"It wasn't," Remus told him gently. "Please stop thinking that. I know you've made mistakes in the past, but you never, ever deserved a place like Azkaban. I wouldn't even wish that on my worst enemy, let alone one of my best friends."

"Not even on Fenrir Greyback?"

"No, not Azkaban. The place is just too horrible."

"Wow."

The two lay there, still holding each other in comfort. Then Sirius spoke again.

"Moony, what are we going to do now?" he whispered. "It seems as though the war's going to start again, and I keep worrying about how we're going to survive it. I don't want it to be Harry's grave we're kneeling over next." He choked out.

Remus held him a little tighter, not even wanting to think about the possibility. "Listen, Padfoot. We're going to do everything we can to protect and take care of Harry, all right? We'll do the best we can. And there's plenty of people who are looking out for our Harry. There's the Weasleys, Cedric, Hermione, Dumbledore, McGonnagall, even Severus, as difficult a person as he is. Kingsley Shacklebolt's also looking out for his safety. Worrying about it isn't going to solve or change anything."

"I know," Sirius said, letting out a shaky sigh.

"And we've got each other, too," Remus reminded him softly. "Now that we know our mistakes, we won't suspect each other if things go wrong anymore. You know I'd never do anything to hurt you or Harry."

"And I know you wouldn't either," Sirius told him. "You're one of the most loyal people I've ever met."

"So are you," Remus said. "Listen, you look exhausted, old friend. I'm pretty tired myself, so how about we sleep for awhile?"

Sirius looked relieved. "All right," he said. "But please, please don't leave me, Rem."

It broke Remus's heart to hear how young and vulnerable Sirius sounded, and he vowed he'd do anything to help alleviate any pain he was still feeling. No-one got over being in Azkaban for twelve years overnight, even someone who was strong-willed like Sirius. "Don't worry," he whispered to him. "I'm not going anywhere. I won't leave, I swear it. I'm right here."

Sirius sighed in relief, and his body relaxed. After a few minutes, his breathing evened out and Remus knew he was asleep. He lay there for awhile, watching his best friend until his eyes fluttered closed, and sleep overtook him as well. His last thought was, You can count on me, Padfoot.


	20. Little Brother

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thanks again for the reviews! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story!

In answer to one of my reviewers, yes, I did say Harry would be meeting Dudley, but that won't be until seventh year. He'll see him at the trial later on this year, but they won't have a proper conversation until seventh year.

And now for something completely different ...

Chapter 20: Little Brother

Cedric Diggory had never had siblings.

He was an only child, and his parents always said, in teasing voices, that one child was enough. But Cedric had always yearned for some kind of sibling relationship, and he even remembered begging for a brother or sister when he was a little boy. When he came to Hogwarts, he had made lots of friends, but found that something was still missing. There was something in him that wanted to reach out, to protect, to help.

And now, he thought he had found that someone that he could reach out to.

Harry Potter was unlike any other boy he'd ever met before. When Cedric had been born, the war had still been going on, and it had ended when he was extremely young. Therefore, he'd grown up hearing the stories of the Boy-Who-Lived, the famous hero who defeated the evil You-Know-Who. "One day," his father would always say proudly, ruffling his son's hair affectionately, "you're going to have a story, too. Your name's also going to be in history books, and you'll be able to say to your grandchildren, "I'm in the same book as Harry Potter!""

Cedric had always flushed with embarrassment at hearing this, and Amos Diggory had gone on to say, "Ah, my boy, you're too modest!" But the truth was, there were times when Cedric wanted to set the man straight. Growing up, he'd always felt that Amos expected way too much of him. By no stretch of the imagination was Cedric perfect, and he knew that. But Amos was always acting as though he was, and whenever someone else did something wonderful, Cedric could sense a tinge of disappointment in his father's eyes, because his one and only son was not measuring up to that. He knew his father cared about him and would be devastated if something happened to him, and he loved his father as well. He'd do anything to make him proud, but at the same time, he didn't really want to be a famous wizard. He just wanted to be Cedric Diggory, a normal boy with hopes and dreams for the future.

He could tell from the look in Harry Potter's eyes that he didn't like his fame either. All the attention that was heaped on him annoyed the green-eyed boy to no end, and Cedric knew there was much more to him than met the eye. Two years ago, he'd been one of the only people in the whole school besides Harry's two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and a few others, who had believed he was not the culprit of the Chamber of Secrets attacks. He didn't understand why people turned against him at the slightest sign of crisis. He'd been disgusted by the people in his own house, making disparaging comments about how the fame must have gotten to Harry's head. Some people even wondered whether he would become the next Dark Lord.

Cedric knew something had happened to Harry that past summer. The look in his eyes was not the kind of look someone his age should have. He was very glad he was becoming so friendly with the young boy, and felt a fierce big-brotherly protectiveness overwhelm him whenever he thought of him. He had a feeling that this year would be a defining year for him, that something big was going to happen, and that something would involve Harry Potter. He vowed to himself that he was going to do everything he could to let the bespectacled boy know he could count on him.

It was October 31 today, and Cedric was excited. Today was the day of the Triwizard champion selection. The night before, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Durmstrang Institute had shown up, to the excitement of the Hogwarts population. He'd smiled when he heard Ron Weasley yelling at the top of his lungs about the fact that Viktor Krum was one of the Durmstrang delegates. The feast had been spectacular, with dishes from the parts of the world the other wizarding schools were located in.

Early this morning, he'd put his name in the Goblet of Fire, the impartial judge who would be choosing people for the tournament. Mostly, The reason why he was doing this was because he wanted to make his father proud. Amos had heaped the pressure on him to go for this tournament, and even though Cedric was tired of the way the man expected him to be perfect, he didn't have the heart to disappoint him. He was also doing it because if he was selected, it would maybe give him the chance to get to know the other champions. Everyone always told him he was smart, and he knew his instinct was to reach out. He spent many hours in the library or the Hufflepuff common room, reaching out to or tutoring students who needed help in certain subjects. His grades were always good, and he was always up to the challenge. Everyone seemed to look up to him; it was almost like he was the leader of Hufflepuff. But he didn't mind, for he enjoyed doing it.

At this very moment, he was making his way to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, the feast that would tell him who the three champions for the different schools were. He couldn't help but smile when he saw Fred and George Weasley and Lee Jordan sporting hilarious-looking beards. All three of them had tried to fool the Goblet by taking an aging potion. Of course, it hadn't worked.

Once he got to the Great Hall, he sat down at the Hufflepuff table with his mates. He looked over and smiled at Cho, who was with her best friend Marietta and a few other girls at the Ravenclaw table. His friendship with her was deepening, and he found she could always put a smile on his face to brighten his day.

Then he glanced at the Gryffindor table and saw Harry Potter sitting with his usual buddies, Weasley and Granger. He also saw the Weasley girl and Neville Longbottom sitting near them.

Dumbledore made a little speech, and then the feast began in all its splendor. Some people from Beauxbatons were sitting at the Hufflepuff table, including a girl who looked like a Veela. She kept complaining about how the food wasn't like the meals she always had at her school.

"Hey, Ced," one of his best mates, Malcolm, said. "You excited for the champion selection? Think you'll get chosen?"

"I doubt it'll be me," Cedric smiled. "But I hope whoever gets it does well."

"Aw, come on, mate," Jeff said from his other side. "You're gonna get it, I know you are."

The feast continued, and the excitement in the hall seemed to multiply as each minute passed. Finally, Dumbledore stood up and began to talk.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is time!" he beamed happily. "The Goblet of Fire is about to make its decision; we are about to learn who the three lucky champions are! I hope that all of you show them lots of respect, and wish them the best of luck in their three very difficult and daunting challenges. I am sure whoever is chosen will want to earn the Triwizard Cup, a great honor for them and their school. Champions, when your name is called, you will go to a little room right behind this hall. Mr. Weasley," he said, turning to a young man sitting on his left who Cedric recognized as Percy Weasley, the Head Boy from last year, "will be one of the judges for the tournament, along with Headmaster Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, Ludo Bagman, and myself."

The Goblet was sitting on the table right in front of Dumbledore, and suddenly, the flames turned red. A little piece of parchment shot out of it, which Dumbledore caught. "Ah," he smiled. "The champion of Durmstrang Institute will be ... Viktor Krum!"

Cedric looked over and saw Ron Weasley going ballistic at the news. The people of Durmstrang, who were mostly sitting at the Slytherin table, also roared their approval. Viktor Krum himself, who was looking as surly as ever, stood up and made his way out of the Great Hall, going to the room behind it.

The applause died down, and the Goblet turned red again. Another piece of parchment came shooting out, and Dumbledore caught this as well. He looked at the name on it and said, "The champion for Beauxbatons Academy will be ... Fleur Delacour!"

It was none other than the Veela-girl who stood up and made her way out of the hall. The reaction from Beauxbatons was unlike that of Durmstrang, however, because many girls were in tears at the fact that they hadn't been chosen. But the rest of the population clapped politely for Fleur as she disappeared.

Cedric grew nervous and very excited. Now was the moment. Now it was time to find out who the Hogwarts champion was. The Goblet turned red once more, and as Dumbledore looked at the parchment which came out of it, he beamed with pride. "The Hogwarts Champion!" he boomed, "will be ..." There was a moment of silence. "CEDRIC DIGGORY!" he roared.

Cedric couldn't believe his eyes. All he knew was that his mates were pounding him on the back, Cho was beaming at him, and Harry Potter was giving him a proud smile. He got up numbly and made his way out of the hall, to the little room where the two other champions were sitting.

"Vot is your name?" asked Viktor Krum as Cedric made his way to a seat.

"Hello, Viktor," Cedric said, shaking the famous Seeker's hand. "My name is Cedric Diggory. I'm the Hogwarts champion. Nice to meet you, and you as well, Fleur."

"'Ello, Cedric Diggory," Fleur said, giving him a beautiful smile. "Zis is going to be interesting, yes?"

"It is," Cedric said. "What are we supposed to do?"

"I think ve are supposed to vait for instructions," said Krum, sitting back in his seat.

"Oh, okay."

Suddenly, Cedric heard commotion coming from the Great Hall. He thought he heard people shouting "That's impossible!" and "This can't be happening!" and "He's too young!" He wondered what on Earth was going on, but knew it couldn't be anything good.

Suddenly, he saw Harry Potter walk into the room. But he wasn't looking right at all. He looked terrified, shocked. He 'seemed to be going on autopilot, like he was only walking because his feet were doing it automatically. He looked lost, like nothing in the world could ever be right again. Cedric immediately stood up and walked over to him. "Harry?" he said in a concerned voice, hoping the younger boy would tell him what was wrong. But Harry just stared into space, seeming to be unable to hear him. "Harry?" he repeated, "What's wrong, my friend?" But the boy's eyes continued to glaze over.

Then, he heard angry voices coming near the room. Karkaroff, Cornelius Fudge, Dumbledore, Ludo Bagman, Moody, Snape, McGonnagall, and Madame Maxime hurried inside.

"This is preposterous!" Karkaroff was yelling. "Dumbledore, my students and I will be leaving immediately! I never thought that you would resort to such trickery!"

"Now, now, Igor," said Dumbledore calmly. "There is no need to get so upset."

"No need!" spat Karkaroff. "How did that boy's name get in the Goblet? He's way too young to compete, and you know it!"

"Well," said Snape silkily, "Potter never misses a chance to show off. He is always landing himself in trouble, and does not think about the consequences of his actions. He thinks he is above the law, that normal rules such as age lines do not apply to him."

Cedric looked from Harry to Dumbledore to Snape to Karkaroff, and realized with a jolt what must have happened. Somehow, Harry Potter's name had come out of the Goblet of Fire, and he was the fourth Triwizard champion. But Cedric immediately knew the boy had not put his own name into the cup. Harry looked totally defeated; if he had put his own name in, surely he would have been excited that he'd gotten past Dumbledore's protection.

"Are you saying," Fleur said, looking at Harry, "zat zis leetle boy eez supposed to compete?"

"Yes, and I'm not going to put up with it!" boomed Karkaroff.

"Igor, can't we talk about this in a civilized manner?" said Dumbledore.

"No, because obviously you can't do things in a civilized manner!" Karkaroff shot back.

Cedric looked at Harry again, looking so lost and vulnerable. "With all due respect, Professor," the seventeen-year-old Hufflepuff said, looking at Karkaroff, "haven't you seen Harry's face? Don't you realize he's as shocked by this news as everyone else?"

"And what right do you have to talk back to me?" Karkaroff snapped. "You have no idea what Potter's made of, boy. The fame's probably gotten to his head, and he thinks, as Severus said, that normal rules are not applicable to him!"

Cedric glared angrily at Karkaroff, who glared right back.

"I think," said Moody, "that the lad did not put his name into the Goblet. I think it is a plot to try and get him killed. There are people," he said, his face growing ugly as he glowered at Karkaroff, "that would like to see his head on a silver platter, are there not?"

"That's enough, Alastor," Professor McGonnagall said firmly.

"I do not know how this happened," Dumbledore admitted, "but if you just look at the boy's face, like Mr. Diggory said, you should be able to see that he did not do this voluntarily. Unfortunately, because of the binding magical contract, he has no choice but to compete."

The arguing continued for a little while longer, until finally, Bagman chirped, "Let's just tell them about the first task! Why don't we just get started?"

Dumbledore nodded his head in agreement. So Bagman went on, "The first task will take place on November 24. There is not much you four can do to prepare for it, but just know that this task will test your courage, strength, and your skill."

"Thank you, Ludo," Dumbledore said. "All right, all four of you can go. Have a good night."

The teachers left the room, except for Dumbledore. Cedric didn't leave either, for he had to see if Harry was alright. The younger teen didn't seem to have paid attention to a word that was said. His eyes were dull, still staring at nothing, and his face was a picture of gloom. Dumbledore and Cedric repeated his name over and over again, but the boy was still unresponsive. Finally, Cedric shook his shoulders and said his name right in his ear. "Harry!"

Harry's eyes opened wide, and he gasped when he found himself looking at the older boy. "C-Cedric?" he stuttered. He seemed to look even more devastated than before. Cedric realized it was probably because Harry thought he was angry with him for becoming champion as well, and "stealing his glory".

"Harry," Cedric said compassionately, looking at him. "Listen to me, Harry, I'm not angry with you. I don't know how this happened, but I know you didn't put your name in that Goblet. But I just wanted to let you know that no matter what anybody else says, don't listen to them. I've got your back, Harry."

Harry looked extremely surprised. "You-you don't think I cheated?" he asked.

"I knew you hadn't from the first time I saw you," Cedric reassured him. "If nobody could tell from the look on your face, I don't know what's wrong with them."

"Thank you, Mr. Diggory," Dumbledore said. "I'm sure that Harry appreciates that. I happen to agree with you." Harry looked incredibly relieved, but still very lost.

"I'm too young for this," Harry said in a small voice. "I don't know what I'm doing!"

"I'll help you," Cedric promised. "I don't know about Fleur and Viktor, but I've got you covered. We're going to be playing against each other again, but that doesn't mean we can't help each other."

"Thank you," Harry said, looking shocked that a boy with popularity like Cedric would be willing to help someone like Harry.

"All right, you two should go and get some rest," Dumbledore said. "I'll see both of you later."

"Thank you, Professor," both boys replied, and they headed out of the room off the Great Hall. They walked in silence until they had to go their separate ways.

"Harry," Cedric said, "don't worry about this, all right? Everything will be fine. I don't know how you were chosen, but you're going to do great."

"Thanks. I'll try," Harry said, still looking at Cedric with disbelief. He slowly walked away from the older teen, and Cedric began to make his way back to the Hufflepuff common room.

As he gave the password and opened the door, he was greeted by many, many faces. People started yelling his name, throwing food at him to celebrate, pounding his back, punching him on the arm, and shaking his hand. Cedric flushed with embarrassment as the whole common room lavished praise and attention upon him.

He finally got to one of the couches and sat down. Stanley, another of his dormmates, sat down next to him and looked at him very seriously. "Don't you think that was an awful thing for Potter to do?" he asked. "I can't believe the nerve of him! To cheat like that!"

"Yeah, seriously," Jeff said, sitting on his other side. "We only let him in the common room a few weeks ago to be nice, you know. I swear, if his head gets any bigger, it'll explode!"

Cedric felt anger sweep over him. How could his mates be saying such things? "Listen, you guys don't understand," he said. "He didn't cheat! Didn't you see the look on his face? He looked totally shocked at how something like this could happen!"

"Awwww, come on, don't be so gullible," Stanley said. "He was having you on, mate, and you know it. Man, you've got to admit he's stealing your glory. For once, you get a chance to shine, and Golden Boy Potter took it away from you!"

"I don't see why you're sticking up for him anyway," grumbled Jeff. "You're way too nice to him, Ced. Stop thinking about others for a change and think about yourself, for once in your life. And I don't know what you're doing, associating with him. Everyone he associates with is in danger, you know."

Cedric stood up and glowered furiously at his so-called mates. "How dare you!" he snarled. "I never thought I'd hear you say such things! He's not just some celebrity who wants the attention! If you only got to know him a little better rather than stick to your stinking prejudice, you'd see a boy who needs help, who's got emotions and feelings just like everyone else! And he doesn't put people in danger on purpose! Just because he's got some damn Dark Lord out to kill him doesn't make it his fault! Listen, I can't deal with you anymore for tonight. I'm going up to the dorm!" And with that, he turned away from the group of gaping Hufflepuffs and started to make his way up the stairs.

"Ced, wait!" Malcolm called, but Cedric paid no attention; he was fuming. Let people think what they want to think, he thought fiercely. But I'm going to help Harry, whatever it takes. The big-brotherly feelings he was having towards the other boy had now only grown in intensity.

He knew that the next talk he had with his father would be hard. Amos would start comparing him to Harry again, but Cedric knew he'd have to somehow make him understand. This was, after all, Cedric's chance to shine, but not in the way everyone thought. He was going to prove that he could be there for Harry, that he could help him. These thoughts consumed his head as he fell asleep that night, and he desperately hoped Harry would get some rest as well; he needed it.


	21. Unconditional Love

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Hi all! I'm so glad you enjoyed what I did with Cedric in the last chapter. Believe me, his friendship will really affect Harry. I've always loved Ced, he's always been one of my favorite characters. And from what we saw of him in the real Goblet of Fire, he's a really nice person.

I hope you enjoy this chapter too!

Chapter 21: Unconditional Love

Sirius Black was furious.

Never in his life had he felt such raw, unadulterated anger towards Albus Dumbledore.

The old fool had promised to make it up to Harry, to keep him safe, and now he'd gone and allowed this to happen!

Sirius and Remus had been having a pleasant conversation about old times at Hogwarts in their living room when an owl had flown in and given Sirius a letter from Harry, telling him that somehow, his name had come out of the Goblet of Fire, making him the fourth Triwizard champion. He swore up and down that he didn't know how it had happened, that the last thing he'd possibly wanted to do was compete in this tournament. Both his guardians knew about the age line the Headmaster had drawn so that no one under the age of seventeen was able to put their names in. They believed Harry wholeheartedly, he had no reason to lie about this. Plus, the letter sounded so desperate, so pleading, asking them for help. It also said that he had to compete, because of a binding magical contract Dumbledore had explained about in the past.

Sirius, being the rash man that he was, did not pay attention to any of Remus's attempts to calm him down, so therefore, the first thing he did upon receiving the letter was throw a pinch of floo powder into the fire, yelling, "Hogwarts, Dumbledore's office!" and he was gone in a burst of green flames. Sighing, Remus followed him. He almost felt sorry for Albus Dumbledore, knowing what kind of mouth Sirius had. He swore that man could curse worse than a sailor.

As he landed in Dumbledore's office, he could hear that Sirius was already at it.

"What the fuck, Dumbledore!" the black-haired man was shouting. "How could you let this happen? You give me this bullshit about keeping Harry safe, and now you're letting him compete in this bloody tournament?" Spit was practically flying from his mouth.

Dumbledore looked up from the paperwork he was doing; he didn't look too surprised, though. The Headmaster had been expecting an outburst like this from Sirius ever since he'd first caught that piece of parchment with Harry's name written on it. He just sat there and let Sirius rail at him, calling him every swearword in the book. It almost looked like he was going to throw a good punch. The only reason why he didn't, Dumbledore thought, was because Remus was there, and trying with a great effort to calm his friend down.

The Headmaster hung his head and looked at both men. "I do not know what to say to defend myself," he admitted. "I am truly sorry, but I do not know how this happened."

"Oh, please!" Sirius spat. "Igor Karkaroff is in your school, Dumbledore! Do you not remember what he is? And what about Snape?"

"Sirius, you know very well that Severus is on our side now. As for Igor, I have been keeping an eye on him, and ..."

"Bullshit!" Sirius roared. "Your version of "keeping an eye" on people includes doing nothing, old fool! Weren't you supposed to be "keeping an eye" on Harry before he came to Hogwarts and the summers after? You didn't do a very good job there, did you?" He let out a harsh, bitter laugh.

"Sirius, please, let the man speak," Remus tried.

"It's all right, Remus," Dumbledore sighed. "I deserve this tirade, I think. I must honestly tell you that I have been keeping an eye on Igor, and it does not look like he is doing anything that we should be concerned about."

"So how do you explain this, Albus?" Remus asked. He was as worried for Harry as Sirius was, but didn't think yelling and screaming at the Headmaster was going to solve anything. "How do you explain Harry's name coming out of the Goblet of Fire?"

"I do not know, Remus. I am terribly sorry," Dumbledore answered tiredly. "I do not know how anyone was able to trick the Goblet. I trust everyone here, and with Alastor Moody around, things should be extra safe." He chuckled softly, thinking of his old friend's antics.

"You're too trusting, that's what you are," Sirius snapped. "I don't want to talk to you anymore." He got up and left the office, slamming the door behind him.

"I should follow him," Remus said apologetically. "He's probably on his way to see Harry. I do hope he calms down before he gets there, though."

"It's all right, Remus," said Dumbledore, defeated. "I am quite used to Mr. Black's temper by now. But you do know that we are all here for Harry, right? We are all going to help him through this."

"I know," Remus sighed deeply. "I must go, though, before Sirius destroys the school."

"Very well," Dumbledore said. "Goodbye, Remus."

"Goodbye, Albus."

xxx

Harry couldn't believe his eyes. The past few weeks had gone pretty well for him, with classes, talking with friends, and seeing his guardians. His therapy sessions had been difficult, because he was reliving his childhood with the Dursleys, Muggle school, and all the things his relatives had made him do. Sirius and Remus made sure to tell him over and over again that he was not a burden, he was not a freak, and his relatives had been extremely wrong to say what they said to him. It was hard to get over all those years of threats, fights, and nasty words, but Harry was trying hard, and his guardians' reassurances went a long way in helping him.

What had happened tonight had put him in shock, though. He'd been so excited about the Triwizard Tournament, but when his own name had come out of the Goblet of Fire, he felt numb and was shocked to his core. How could this have happened? He had immediately owled Sirius and Remus to tell them what had transpired. He was extremely surprised that Cedric had stuck up for him. He would have thought that he, of all people, would be angry with him, because Cedric was the true Hogwarts champion, and might have felt that his glory was stolen away from him. But Harry had truly underestimated the seventeen-year-old boy. He really had a friend in Cedric, that was for sure.

A much better friend than Ron was right now, he thought bitterly as he sat in the Room of Requirement. He had made his way there after going to the owlery, because he didn't feel like facing anyone in the dorm right now. As soon as Dumbledore had called his name and said he was a champion, he had seen Ron glare furiously at him. It was obvious what he thought; he thought Harry had put his own name in the Goblet without consulting him first. He didn't feel like going back to his room and hearing Ron go on and on at him about how he always got everything handed to him on a silver platter.

He sat on the couch in the room, and put his head in his hands. Even with Cedric to help him, how was he going to make it through this tournament? He didn't even know what the heck he was supposed to do! He had been in a stupor all through the talking in the room behind the Great Hall, but thought he'd heard, through the haze in his mind, something about November 24 and the first task. It sounded like none of the champions even knew what the first task was. How were they supposed to prepare for something they weren't at all sure about?

Will Hermione agree with Ron? was another thought that invaded Harry's mind. Or will that be yet another row those two get into? And what about Ginny and Neville? What would they think? And Cho? He already knew what Cedric's mates thought; he'd seen them glaring at him from the Hufflepuff table. He hoped Cedric and his friends weren't rowing because of him. The last thing he wanted to do was stir up trouble between someone else and their friends.

He also thought about what Mad-Eye Moody had said. Was this some kind of plot to get him killed? Was his being involved in this tournament not only putting him in danger, but putting the other champions in danger too? He didn't want Fleur, Viktor, or Cedric getting hurt or killed because of him. This conflict was between himself and Voldemort; he didn't want anyone else getting involved. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny already could have died because of him, and his parents and Professor Quirrell had already died because of him. Never mind that Quirrell had been evil; Harry still didn't think he deserved to die. These thoughts kept buzzing around in his head. He also thought of what Sirius and Remus had told him about Igor Karkaroff, that he used to be a Death Eater back in the First War. He'd given information to the Ministry about other Death Eaters to reduce his Azkaban sentence, though, so no one really knew whether he was really still on Voldemort's side or not.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Sirius and Remus walked in. They went straight over to Harry. "Hey, kiddo," Sirius said softly. Remus had made him take some deep breaths before he saw the boy.

"Sirius? Remus? What are you doing here?" asked Harry, lifting his head from his hands and staring at his guardians in shock.

"What do you mean, what are we doing here?" Sirius asked, ruffling Harry's hair gently. "What have we told you about coming when you need us? You need us tonight, of all nights."

Harry looked horrified. "I didn't mean to make you stop what you were doing!" he cried. "I owled you to tell you the news, not because I needed you to come running!"

"Shhh, Harry," Remus said gently, putting a hand up to silence him. "There's no need to feel guilty. We're always going to come whether you think you need us or not. We knew, from the tone of your letter, that you needed someone to talk to."

Harry couldn't help looking gratefully at his guardians, although guilt still shone on his face. "How did you find me?"

"What a silly question," Sirius chuckled. "How did any of the Marauders find each other in school, Harry, if we weren't all together?"

"Oh," said Harry, a flush coming over his face. "You went to my dorm, didn't you? I wasn't there, so you looked for me on the Marauders' Map."

"Yes," said Sirius. "We couldn't find you anywhere, so we knew you were here. As I said before, this room isn't on the map."

"Oh, right," said Harry.

Sirius sat on one side of him, and Remus sat on the other. "So tell us exactly what happened," Remus prompted.

Harry launched into the entire story, and he told them about his friends' reactions.

"Cedric is a good friend," Remus smiled. "I remember teaching him Defense last year. He's a really good role model, Harry, and I know he'll help you."

"And don't worry about Ron," Sirius said, looking like he'd like to do nothing better than give the redhead a piece of his mind. "He'll come around. Hermione's smart, she'll set him straight."

"And I'm sure Ginny will pound it into him, too," Remus said, trying to make Harry smile. "Molly Weasley tells me that one has a temper."

"Why do you think Ginny will believe me?" asked Harry quietly.

"Cub," Remus said, "most people are able to look at your face and surmise that you don't want this. And after what Ginny went through, I think she really has a grasp on who's telling the truth and who's not. And she trusts you, Harry, I know it by the way she always looks at you."

"Ron's stubborn," Sirius added. "Sometimes he only sees what he wants to see. And I'm sure it's the same for Cedric's mates. From their point of view, their mate just became champion, and it seems to them that you took away his chance to shine."

"But I didn't mean to!" Harry cried desperately.

"I know you didn't, pup. None of us know how this happened. Remus and I both believe you, that you didn't put your own name in. If the Triwizard Tournament had taken place while us Marauders were in school, we probably would have been truly excited if our names had come out of the Goblet, not horrified like you are. So we know you're definitely telling the truth." He held out his arms for Harry, who burrowed into them. Remus began stroking his hair, a gesture Harry found so comforting whenever he did it.

"I'm not ready for this," Harry muttered quietly. "And Mad-Eye Moody thinks ..."

"We have an idea what Mad-Eye thinks, Harry," Remus said. "He's a very paranoid man."

"But what if it's true?" Harry said, extremely worried. "I don't want Cedric or Fleur or Viktor or you or any of my other friends or teachers getting hurt because of me. If Voldemort wants me, he can come and get me, but can't he leave everyone else alone?"

"Listen, Harry," Sirius said, lifting the boy's chin so he could look into his terrified eyes. "If we can help it, Voldemort's not going to come anywhere near you. So you won't have to worry about him touching anybody. You know that both of us would gladly do anything to protect you, no matter what it takes."

"But I don't want anyone else sacrificing themselves for me!" Harry cried, tears springing to his eyes. "I don't want to lose you!"

Sirius and Remus held him tight. "We know you don't, kiddo," Sirius whispered. "But you've got to know that Remus and I will do everything we can to protect you. We want you to know that if ever anything does happen to us, it won't be your fault, it'll be Voldemort's or his Death Eaters'. And as for what Alastor Moody says, you must take it with a grain of salt. That doesn't mean we won't keep an eye on everyone and try and find out why your name came out of the Goblet tonight, but you also must know that Moody was an Auror and in the war for years, and he's a man who thinks someone who shakes his hand is probably out to kill him." He ruffled Harry's hair again, trying to make the boy chuckle or smile even a little.

"Yeah, it said that in the Prophet last month." Harry's voice was muffled in Sirius's arms. "It said Moody's "unable to differentiate between a handshake and attempted murder.""

"Yeah, I read that article," Remus said, squeezing the boy's hand.

The three of them sat on the couch in silence for a while, Harry continuing to burrow into Sirius's arms and Remus continuing to stroke his hair. "Siri? Remy?" Harry said finally, tiredness catching up with him.

"Yes, Harry?"

"I don't want to go back to the dorm," Harry admitted.

"Pup, you'll have to go back there eventually," Sirius told him softly. "But listen, you don't have to go back there tonight if you don't want to. You can stay here, and Remus and I can sleep in here too."

Harry looked shocked. "But I don't want to keep you away from home," he protested.

"Oh, cub, you're not keeping us away from anything," Remus assured him. "We don't want to be anywhere else but with you."

Harry was overwhelmed. Even after all this time, it was incredible to know that he had two people in his life who cared about him so much. He really didn't feel like going back to his dorm and dealing with the praise from Fred, George, and Lee for getting past the age line when they had not; he didn't want to deal with Ron's furious glares or Hermione's telling Ron to grow up. He desperately wanted to stay in a place where he was safe and comforted, and his guardians had offered him a way out. Slowly, the boy nodded his head, and the two men smiled lovingly at him.

The three talked for a while longer, Harry telling them about the rest of what was going on at school. They also talked about Karkaroff, wondering whether he was still a follower of Voldemort and whether he had anything to do with the events this evening. His eyes started closing during the conversation, though, so Sirius and Remus decided they should all go to bed. All the three had to do was think of a place to sleep, and two beds showed up.

"Why only two?" Harry asked curiously. "Don't both of you need a bed to sleep in, as well as me?"

"Ah," said Sirius, grinning mischievously. "No, not exactly. See, I'll show you. Good night, kiddo." He gave Harry a hug, which the boy returned, confused at what Sirius was about to do. Once the man let go, he turned into the big, shaggy black dog, and curled up at the end of Harry's bed.

The boy couldn't help but laugh as he stroked Sirius's fur. Remus grinned as well. "Should've known that was Padfoot's trick," he said fondly. He patted Sirius on the head and said, "Be a good boy tonight, okay? I'm not taking you out if you need to go to the toilet."

Sirius growled and barked, as if offended by Remus's statement. The werewolf laughed and said, "Only joking, boy."

"Woof," Sirius said again.

"Good night, cub. Rest well," Remus told Harry gently. "Don't worry about this, okay? If you believe everything will be all right, it will. You've got tons of people who are willing to help you, and even a big, barking, black dog."

Harry smiled; he was filled with never-ending gratitude. He couldn't find the words to express it, but Remus could see it by the look in his best friend's son's eyes. He gave him a kiss on the forehead and then climbed into his own bed.

Harry was so exhausted that he ended up falling asleep within five minutes. With Padfoot curled up at the end of his bed, and Remus in the bed next to it, he felt relaxed and warm, surrounded by their unconditional love. No matter what happened in this Triwizard Tournament, he knew he had them to rely on.


	22. Life Continues

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

I'm so, so happy you think I'm doing so well with the story! I hope to continue to keep everyone satisfied!

Chapter 22: Life Continues

When Harry arrived at Gryffindor Tower the next day, he was not looking forward to what would happen. He had avoided the Great Hall, and had instead eaten breakfast with Sirius and Remus. They, of course, had been nothing but supportive towards him, but he knew it was now time to go back and "face the music", as it were.

When he gave the password to the Fat Lady and opened the portrait door, the first people he bumped into were Fred, George, and Lee.

"How did you do it, mate?" said Fred immediately.

"Wish you'd let us in on it," said George, vigorously shaking Harry's hand. "Didn't think you had it in you."

"You're one amazing kid, Potter," said Lee, beaming with pride.

"I didn't," said Harry desperately. "I didn't put my name in!"

"Aw, come on, bro," said Fred. "We're not angry with you for doing it, we're proud. You can tell us how you managed it, we promise we won't tell ickle Ronniekins."

"I'm telling you, I didn't do it!" Harry almost yelled, pushing past them and running up to his dormitory. "Wait, Harry!" they called, but Harry paid absolutely no attention.

Unfortunately, Ron was in the dorm, sitting on his bed when Harry came in. "So," he said, scowling when he saw the green-eyed boy. "Too busy reveling in your victory to even come to the dorm last night?"

"Shut the hell up, Weasley," Harry ground out. "I didn't put my name in that cup! I don't know how it happened!"

"Don't you tell me to shut up, Potter," Ron snarled, standing up. "You were the one who said when school started that you didn't want to be champion. Now I find that you want to be after all! I would've been fine with it if you'd only have told me your trick!"

"You know what, Ron?" Harry shouted. He couldn't be bothered to deal with this right now. "If you don't believe me, then that's your problem. But I'm happy to know that I have people who do."

"Who, like Pretty Boy Diggory?"

"Don't you dare insult Cedric! He's a much better friend than you're being right now!" Harry got his invisibility cloak out of his trunk and put it on, getting ready to go back to the common room. He knew Fred, George, and Lee would still be down there, and the last thing he wanted to do was deal with them again.

"Go hang out with Diggory, then," Ron scoffed. "And stop pretending you don't like the fame."

"Do you really want to be me, Ron? You can be me any time you want, I'd gladly give you the position! Just don't come complaining to me when Voldemort's out for your blood!" Harry roared, slamming his way out of the dorm. All the feelings of uncertainty and inadequacy came rushing back to him. How could Ron think that of him? After all they'd been through together, after all he had seen Harry go through, how could the red-haired boy think he liked the fame? Furious, Harry threw open the portrait hole, causing the Fat Lady to yelp, "Hey! Who's there?" But he didn't answer, and just kept running.

He ran out to the lake, and sat down by the big beech tree the Marauders had so often occupied. Sighing, he became lost in his thoughts. Sirius and Remus had told him not to worry about what everyone else thought; they had said just to be comfortable with who he himself was. He hadn't put his name in the Goblet, and they said that whoever didn't believe him wasn't a true friend. He'd never felt so hurt, though. Ron had been his first friend, the first person who had come up to him and really talked to him on the train. He thought of all their games of wizard's chess, of the way Ron had sacrificed himself for Harry at the end of first year, how he had accompanied Harry and Lockhart to the Chamber of Secrets second year, and he especially thought of what he'd said at the end of last year when they'd still thought Sirius was out to kill Harry: "If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill all three of us!"

He knew Ron had low self-esteem, because he didn't think he could measure up to his brothers. The fact that he was friends with the famous Harry Potter was another weight on him. Harry could definitely understand all that; he'd felt horrible about himself at the Dursleys. But why couldn't Ron see that he was telling the truth?

He was still brooding when he saw Ginny come to the area where he was sitting. She sat down next to him, but she didn't know it, since Harry still had the cloak on. Harry honestly didn't know whether he wanted to talk to her or not. He was dying for someone to understand him, someone in his own house to believe him. After battling with himself for awhile, he hesitantly took the cloak off.

"Ahh!" Ginny yelled, suddenly seeing him. "Don't do that to me, Harry!"

"Sorry, Gin," Harry sighed.

"Why did you have the cloak on anyway?" Ginny asked, her face becoming concerned. "I knew you owned one, because Ron told me. But why were you wearing it? Was it because ..." Her face grew red with anger. "Did my idiot brother say something to you? Don't worry, I believe you didn't put your name in the Goblet. The look on your face said it all."

Harry gave a relieved sigh. He should have known better than to doubt Ginny, plus, Sirius and Remus had told him they were sure the redhead was sensible. "Thank Merlin someone from Gryffindor believes me," he said.

"Don't mind my brother. He's just really stupid sometimes," said Ginny. "Hermione and I gave him a good yelling-at last night. He's probably still angry with us for it."

"So Hermione believes me too?"

"Of course she does, Harry. Come give me a hug, I think you need it."

Harry was touched at her compassion. Hugs were definitely not something he was used to, and Ginny saw the hesitant look in his eyes. "Come on, Potter," she said teasingly. "You're not going to get away with denying me." A mischievous smile lit her face, and Harry couldn't help but laugh a little. She held out her arms, and Harry finally obeyed her wishes. Her arms were warm and inviting, and she smelled wonderful. "It's going to be all right, you know," she said softly, stroking his messy, raven-colored hair. "My stupid brother will come around. I'm surprised it's the first time you've seen him like this. As for you being champion, I've noticed Cedric's really taken a liking to you. I'm sure he'll help you out."

Harry looked gratefully at her. "Thanks, Gin," he said. "It really helps to know that you also believe me."

"Of course I do," Ginny smiled.

The two sat in silence for a while, simply relishing the other's presence. Harry felt happy to have someone there with him, someone who had faith in him and trusted him wholly. After a while, Harry said, "My dad and his friends used to hang out by this tree all the time. I saw a memory of it in my Pensieve."

"Really?" Ginny asked, interested. "What were they like when they were young?"

"They were real pranksters, as you know," Harry replied. "It's funny, because Sirius and Remus told me Mum hated Dad at first. Dad always loved Mum, though, but she couldn't be bothered to deal with him."

"How come?"

"She thought he could never be serious, and also thought he was way too arrogant."

"Well, some people are like that when they're young," said Ginny. "It's a phase they go through, but usually they grow out of it."

"Yeah, that's what Remus said," said Harry. "Dad grew out of it, and Mum finally came to like him."

Ginny and Harry spent the rest of the morning talking about their parents' antics. Ginny told him stories about what kind of things her own parents had done when they were young.

Later in the day, Harry met with Neville and Hermione, who thankfully both believed him. Cedric and Cho also bumped into him, expressing their luck and faith in him also. He hated the glares from the other students, but the fact that he did have people who took him at his word lightened his heart considerably.

Lessons the following week were horrible, though. Even Professor Sprout, who wasn't supposed to play favorites, seemed distant towards him. Care of Magical Creatures had Draco Malfoy in it, so of course that wasn't good. He made spiteful comments about Harry becoming champion, and what hurt the most was that Ron's usual "Shut up, Malfoy!" wasn't present. It was now left to Hermione and Neville to tell the blond to stuff a sock in it. Hagrid was a comfort, though, because he too believed that Harry was innocent of putting his own name in the Goblet.

It all came to a head on Friday at Double Potions. When he arrived at the classroom, Snape wasn't present yet, so everyone lined up. Ron stood next to him, scowling, with Hermione on his other side. All week, Ron and she had had forced conversation, but didn't seem to be looking at each other much. Harry felt guilty for again causing conflict between the two of them. Last year, it had been his Firebolt which had done it.

Malfoy and the Slytherins came strolling towards them, and every one of them was wearing a badge. How could Hermione have gotten them into S.P.E.W? Harry wondered, but then realised they weren't S.P.E.W badges at all, but were instead badges which said in glowing red letters: SUPPORT CEDRIC DIGGORY, THE TRUE HOGWARTS CHAMPION!

"Like them, Potter?" smirked Malfoy. "Look! See, this isn't all they do!" He pressed his badge, and another message began to glow. This one said: POTTER IS A CHEATER

The rest of the Slytherins roared with laughter. They all pressed their badges as well, and the message lit up the corridor. Harry felt a red flush rising on his cheeks. "We caught on to your game, Potter," Pansy Parkinson sniggered. "We know you cheated. Just because you've got people on your side doesn't make them right. They'll catch on eventually."

"Would all of you just shut up?" Neville said bravely.

"So," drawled Malfoy, "Little crybaby Longbottom's sticking up for Potter, is he?"

"He's not a crybaby, Malfoy," Harry snarled.

"No?" said Malfoy, another smirk appearing on his face. "I beg to differ. Hey, Weasel, want a badge? I notice you haven't been talking to Potter lately. How does it feel, Potter, to have one of your so-called friends not on your side? And how about you, Granger, you want one too? Ooh, but don't touch my hand now, I just washed it. I don't want a filthy little mudblood sliming it up."

Harry raised his wand, his temper near to breaking point. Malfoy raised his too. "Go on, Potter," he taunted. "Let's see what you can do, shall we?"

At exactly the same time, both boys acted. "Furnunculus!" shouted Harry, while Malfoy yelled, "Densaugio!"

Both jets of light hit each other in midair, and went spinning off at angles. Harry's hit Pansy Parkinson, and boils sprang up all over her nose. "Aarghargharghargh!" she shrieked. Malfoy's hit Hermione, and she grabbed her mouth in panic. "Hermione!" cried Ron, rushing over to her. "Are you all right?"

"My teeth!" she yelled, and the Slytherins howled with mirth. Hermione's teeth were growing so huge that her voice sounded extremely odd.

"What is going on here, boys and girls?" drawled a silky voice. Severus Snape came striding into the corridor, looking at the scene around him.

"Potter attacked me, sir!" Malfoy said at once.

"No, no, they attacked each other at the same time!" Neville argued.

"Ah," said Snape, smiling nastily. "Twenty points from Gryffindor for your conduct, Potter."

"But sir!" said Dean Thomas loudly. "Malfoy ..."

"Another ten points from Gryffindor for your cheek, Thomas," snarled Snape.

"Professor! Look at Hermione's teeth!" exclaimed Ron.

Snape looked at her mouth and sneered at her, "I see no difference."

Harry and Ron then started yelling things at Snape at the same time, only Ron's language was much more colorful. Hermione ran away from the scene in tears.

"Thirty points from Gryffindor and detention for you, Weasley," Snape drawled. "You do not use language like that towards a teacher. Now, get inside! The instructions for your potion will be on the board, and you will complete it quickly. No talking, and no funny business! Now go!"

Harry stomped angrily into the classroom, sitting with Dean on one side and Neville on the other. He made his potion, chopping his ingredients with a dangerous ferocity. Half an hour into the period, there was a knock at the door. Snape opened it, and Colin Creevy was standing there.

"Please, Professor," he said, "but Harry Potter has to come with me. The Weighing of the Wands ceremony for the champions is about to happen."

"Well," Snape said slowly, "Potter has a half an hour of Potions to complete. I'm afraid our little celebrity will just have to be late, won't he?"

"Professor, he has to. Everyone is waiting for him," Colin said, his face growing red.

"Very well," Snape snapped, his face full of fury. "Potter, you will come back later and finish your potion. Is that understood, or is your head so big that you believe rules are nonexistent for you?" Upon hearing this, Malfoy snickered. As usual, Snape paid him no attention.

"Yes, sir," Harry ground out, getting out of his chair and walking out of the classroom, following Colin.

"Isn't it terrific that you're one of the Hogwarts champions?" said Colin excitedly as they walked. "Should've known, really, since you're Harry Potter!"

"Yeah, terrific," Harry muttered under his breath. "What's this Weighing of the Wands thing about?"

"I dunno," said Colin, "but I think people of the Daily Prophet are here."

"Great," said Harry. Colin beamed, not noticing the sarcasm.

When they arrived at the classroom, Colin piped, "Good luck!" and left. Harry entered the room, and saw that Cedric, Fleur, and Krum were already there. There was also a woman in the room, who was wearing magenta robes. Harry's spirits plummeted; Sirius and Remus had told him what Rita Skeeter looked like, and this was definitely her. Ludo Bagman was also there, along with, believe it or not, Mr. Ollivander.

"Hi, Harry," said Cedric as Harry sat next to him. "Are you okay?" He stared at Harry with a concerned gaze.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Cedric," said Harry, managing a weak smile.

"Hello, Potter," said Krum, and Fleur also smiled at him.

"I talked to them," Cedric whispered conspiratorially to Harry. "I convinced them you didn't put your name in the Goblet. I think they finally believe me."

"You didn't have to do that," Harry said, looking at the older student gratefully.

"Well, what are friends for?" said Cedric, patting Harry's shoulder in a kindly gesture.

Mr. Ollivander then began to talk. He explained about the Weighing of the Wands, and then checked that each student's wand was working. Harry grew very uncomfortable when he started muttering, "Yes, Harry Potter. Very curious indeed." Harry remembered very well the conversation in the wand shop right before his first year, about how the brother of his wand was the one belonging to none other than Lord Voldemort.

Then, Rita Skeeter marched up to Harry. "Now that the Weighing of the Wands is over," she said cheerfully, "I am wondering if you would be kind enough, Harry, to give me an interview."

Harry's spirits sank even further. "Uh, no thank you, Miss Skeeter," he said quietly.

"Oh, come on! It'll only take a minute!" she cried, putting on a pleading tone of voice. "Don't you want to be on the front page?"

"No, I don't," Harry said testily.

"Oh, quit lying to me, you little scamp!" said Skeeter, ruffling Harry's hair. "Everyone wants to be famous!"

Cedric looked at Harry's crestfallen face and glared at Skeeter. "Didn't you hear him, Miss Skeeter?" he said coldly. "He told you no, he doesn't want an interview. Don't you see you're making him uncomfortable?"

Harry was baffled at how much Cedric seemed to care. "It's okay, Cedric, I can handle it," he said softly.

"No, I'm not letting Skeeter take advantage of you like this," Cedric insisted. "Leave Harry alone, otherwise I'll tell Sirius Black and Remus Lupin on you. I've heard you're pretty scared of them."

Rita Skeeter's face immediately changed to one of terror. "Sirius Black and the werewolf!" she exclaimed. "You wouldn't, would you?"

"Yes, I would," said Cedric, and Skeeter immediately hurried away, looking like someone who had been cornered by an angry scorpion. Cedric stared after her, a look of satisfaction crossing his face. "There," he said to Harry. "I got rid of her for you."

Harry couldn't help but be impressed. Fleur and Viktor were also looking at the older boy, shock clearly written across their faces. Cedric was definitely not dumb. "There was no need to do that," he said, flushing. "But thanks."

"As I said, what are friends for?" replied Cedric. "I'm not against Sirius Black or werewolves, but I know Skeeter is. I figured I'd use that to our advantage. Come on, let's walk back together. What are you doing now?"

"I was thinking of going to dinner," Harry said. "I'm hungry."

"Me, too. I'm starved. Come sit with me at the Hufflepuff table," Cedric offered.

"But your mates don't like me," Harry said.

"Who cares? It doesn't matter what they think. I don't even know if they're my mates anymore. And don't you dare feel guilty," he said, noticing that Harry was about to open his mouth. "It's not your fault that they're being total idiots. Come on, let's go." Smiling, he led Harry out of the classroom and to the Great Hall. Harry followed him, not being able to help the swoop of lightheartedness that being with Cedric provided. With a friend like him, who needed Ron Weasley?


	23. Newspaper Articles and Dragons

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thanks for the great reviews! I agree, yay for Cedric!

Here's the next chappie!

Chapter 23: Newspaper Articles and ... Dragons?

A few days later, the Gryffindors were sitting at breakfast in the Great Hall when the usual morning owls swooped in, delivering mail. The Daily Prophet, which Hermione had subscribed to, came to her, and she unrolled it. "What's in the paper today, Hermione?" asked Harry curiously as she scanned the headline. He noticed that she was scowling, and she tried to keep the paper as far away from him as possible. "What's wrong?" he asked, having a sinking feeling it had something to do with him.

"Never mind, Harry," said Hermione quickly. Ron rudely grabbed the paper out of her hands and waved it in front of Harry's face. Throughout the past few days, the two boys had still not made up.

"Look at this," said Ron. The headline read:

IS THE BOY-WHO-LIVED TOO GOOD FOR HIS ADORING PUBLIC?

This is the question we must ask ourselves today, writes Rita Skeeter, special correspondent. Earlier this week, this reporter arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to speak to the champions of the upcoming Triwizard Tournament, an event which has not been hosted in centuries because of the high death toll. Upon arrival at Hogwarts, this reporter discovered that none other than Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived and vanquisher of the evil known as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, was chosen as one of two champions to represent the famous wizarding school.

In this tournament, three schools participate: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Durmstrang Institute, and Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. Usually, one champion is selected to represent each school. So this reporter asks, why are there two champions representing Hogwarts? The Headmaster of the school, Albus Dumbledore, is reported to have drawn an age line so that only students seventeen and over can compete. Harry Potter is not in this category; he is only fourteen. So this reporter asks again, why is this boy competing? Did he cheat his way into the tournament? Does Albus Dumbledore know what trouble he is brewing in his very school? Do the ex-convict Sirius Black and the werewolf Remus Lupin, who he lives with, know that their adopted son resorts to things of this magnitude?

When this reporter requested an interview with the Boy-Who-Lived, he had the gall to refuse. Is this because he thinks he is too good for his adoring fans? Does he think he is above giving moral support to the wizarding community after the horrors of the Quidditch World Cup, and the escape of vicious Death Eaters from the fortress known as Azkaban Prison? Is he also known for bribery? This reporter wonders this because his fellow Hogwarts champion, Cedric Diggory, grew very defensive on his behalf when he refused an interview. "Leave Harry alone," were his exact words. "Don't you see you're making him uncomfortable?"

What did young Mr. Potter offer Diggory in return for this? Maybe some of the gold his parents gave him in their will? These are questions the wizarding population must ask themselves. Is Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, too good for the wizarding public?

Harry's face was white as he finished the article. "She's a liar!" he hissed angrily. "I knew she was never going to ask me about how I felt about the Quidditch World Cup or the escaped Death Eaters! And she had the nerve to bring Cedric into it as well!"

"Calm down, Harry," Hermione soothed, giving Ron the fiercest glare she could.

At that moment, Cedric came over from the Hufflepuff table and laid a calming hand on Harry's shoulder. "You've seen it, haven't you?" he said. "The paper, I mean."

"Yeah," muttered Harry. "I can't believe she said that about you!"

"Oh, never mind Skeeter," Cedric said lightly. "My parents told me all about her. Doesn't know when to keep her nose out of people's business."

"What are you doing here, Diggory?" said Ron rudely. "Go back to your own table."

"Shut up, Ron," Harry snarled. "Cedric can be here if he wants to. Don't mind him, Ced."

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'm not paying attention," Cedric said.

"You can sit with us if you'd like," Ginny offered. Cedric smiled and sat down next to Harry, in the seat which had been taken by Ron when they were still friends.

xxx

Over the next few weeks, nobody could stop talking about the Rita Skeeter article. Draco Malfoy and some of the other Slytherins quoted it at every turn, embarrassing Harry when he least expected it. Snape even made some nasty comments to the boy regarding it. Sirius and Remus, however, were furious with Skeeter. They assured Harry that any real, sane person would pay it no attention.

It was now the Saturday before the First Task, and Harry's teeth were on edge. He couldn't stand the waiting, the anticipating. What on Earth was the first task going to be?

On that particular day, every student who was a third-year on up had permission to go to Hogsmeade. "Come on, Harry!" Hermione urged. "Let's go together."

"But what about Ron?" Harry asked. "Don't you want to go with him?"

"Well ..." said Hermione hesitantly. "I was thinking we could meet up with him in the Three Broomsticks."

"Then absolutely not," Harry refused adamantly. "I'm not coming if we're meeting him. He'll probably start spewing some garbage about that stupid article."

"Why do you pay him any attention, Harry? It's not worth the aggravation! And won't you two make up already? You miss him, I know you do!"

"No, I don't!" said Harry angrily. "All right, I'll go to Hogsmeade with you, but I'm wearing the invisibility cloak, and that's final!"

"Oh for Merlin's sake, Harry! People are going to look at me like I'm odd if you wear that thing! How is it going to look, me ordering two butterbeers?"

"It's either that or I won't go," said Harry, putting his foot down.

"Fine," snapped Hermione. "Very well. Wear the stupid cloak, then."

So after Harry's therapy session that day, he and Hermione went into Hogsmeade. People did look at Hermione strangely as they saw her by herself, wondering why she wasn't with a group of friends. Ron, Fred, George, and Lee were walking not too far away from her and Harry, and they were all laughing about something. Harry couldn't help feeling a pang of misery as he observed them. His friendship with Ron was definitely on rocky ground, and he did miss the way they had been, no matter what he'd told Hermione earlier.

The two friends went to some of the shops, looking at different items. Hermione, of course, couldn't help but buy a few books, and Harry looked in Zonko's, thinking of his dad and his mates. Sirius and Remus had told him this was the place they obviously liked the best in Hogsmeade.

Finally, they went into the Three Broomsticks. They sat at a table, and Harry put his elbows on it, looking miserable. He'd really had a hard couple of weeks. Why was the wizarding world so quick to believe what that foul Skeeter woman had written?

He thought over some of the other things that had happened in the last two weeks. As well as the constant quoting and snickers from Malfoy and the Slytherins, and the ugly looks from Cedric's ex-mates, he had even received some hate mail. He'd had to go to the infirmary one day because someone had sent him bubotuber pus, which really irritated his skin. Howlers also came in abundance, and he could distinctly remember some of the things they said: "HOW DARE YOU, HARRY POTTER! TO THINK THAT YOU WERE THE ONE WHO GOT RID OF YOU-KNOW-WHO FOR US, AND NOW YOU WON'T EVEN BOTHER TO OFFER ONE WORD OF COMFORT WHEN HIGHLY DANGEROUS PRISONERS ESCAPE FROM AZKABAN!"

But he also had to say that he had received plenty of support from Cedric, Hermione, Ginny, Cho, Neville, Hagrid, Sirius, and Remus. Even McGonnagall had taken him aside and offered her apologies. She was usually a very strict woman, but she did have a softer side, and she could see how much the taunts and ridiculous hate was getting to Harry.

Hermione ordered two butterbeers and two plates of fish and chips, and Madame Rosmerta looked at her oddly. Hermione glared at the invisible Harry, as though asking, "Why did you make me do this?" Harry just gave her a pleading look, even though she couldn't see him, and she turned her face away with a "Fine, fine, have it your way," look.

In the middle of drinking, they saw Hagrid and Professor Moody come over to their table. "How're you holdin' up, 'Ermione?" asked Hagrid, patting her on the shoulder with his huge hand.

"I'm fine," Hermione told him. "How are you, Hagrid?"

"Very well, thank yeh," Hagrid replied. Moody then whispered something to him, and then Hagrid said in a very low voice, "'Arry, meet me in my cabin tonight at nine-thirty, all righ'? Wear tha' cloak." Harry realized Moody must have told Hagrid he was there, for the boy knew that the ex-Auror's magical eye could see through invisibility cloaks. After Hagrid had said this, he and Moody proceeded to walk away.

"What was that about?" Hermione muttered. "Why does he want you to meet him?"

"Dunno," said Harry. "I hope it isn't about those stupid Skrewts, though."

Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts were getting very big now, and they were starting to kill each other. He was very confused and didn't know how to get them to stop. He continued to tell the class to take them for a walk, and of course the usual snide comments were made by Malfoy.

After the two friends had finished their meal, they walked out of the Three Broomsticks and headed back to Hogwarts. They had decided not to talk to Ron at all, since he'd been with his brothers and Lee.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in the Gryffindor common room. In the evening, Harry, Cedric, and Cho enjoyed the night air by going for a fly on the Quidditch pitch. Harry felt exhilarated while flying; he could almost stop thinking about the upcoming First Task, the hate mail, and the fact that he and Ron were still not talking.

At nine-thirty, Harry slipped on the invisibility cloak and went to Hagrid's cabin. He quietly knocked on the door, and Hagrid was quick to answer. "Come with me," he said quietly. "Got summat ter show yeh."

He and Harry began to walk, and Harry noticed they were heading to the Beauxbatons carriage.

Once they arrived, Hagrid knocked on the door. Madame Maxime came out, beaming at him. "'Agrid!" she cried.

"Hello, Olympe," said Hagrid happily. "Got ter show yeh summat. Yer gonna love this. It's definitely worth seein'."

"Where eez eet you are taking me, 'Agrid?" asked Madame Maxime as the two started to walk again, with Harry following closely behind her.

"Ah, wait and see," smiled Hagrid. They seemed to walk for ages, and finally, Harry heard men shouting. Bewildered, he kept going, and then he suddenly thought he saw bonfires, with men standing around them. But then his mouth gaped open in shock, for he saw the real thing.

Dragons.

There were four absolutely huge dragons in a fenced-in enclosure. It was not bonfires Harry had seen, but huge torrents of fire from the dragons soaring into the air. The creatures looked extremely vicious, and Harry's mouth was still open in horror.

"Are you telling me, 'Agrid," Madame Maxime cried, "zat ze champions have to battle zese dragons?"

"Reckon so," said Hagrid. "But don' tell anyone I told yeh, yeh're not supposed ter know."

Harry could also see the men that were handling the dragons, and he recognized one of them as Charlie Weasley. He wished he could go up to him and express his relief at the fact that Charlie was all right. He had been seriously injured in the fiasco at the Quidditch World Cup, and the healers at St. Mungo's had said he was lucky to be alive. If he'd arrived there much later, he could have been dead.

"Keep back, Hagrid!" Charlie shouted.

"Will do," Hagrid yelled back. "Isn' it beautiful?" he said softly to Madame Maxime, as if admiring a cat instead of a beastly dragon.

"It's no good, Weasley!" another wizard yelled at Charlie. "Stunning spells, on the count of three. One, two, three-STUPEFY!"

The spells hit the dragons, and Harry watched them slowly fall. Then, each dragon keeper walked over to their fallen charge and tightened their chains, securing them to iron pegs.

"Want ter take a closer look?" said Hagrid, and he and Madame Maxime moved right up to the fence. Harry followed them, feeling numb inside. How on Earth was he supposed to battle a damn dragon, for Merlin's sake? This was too much! How could even a seventeen-year-old like Cedric, Fleur, or Viktor do such a thing, let alone an inexperienced fourteen-year-old like himself?

Charlie came over and patted Hagrid's shoulder. "All right, Hagrid?" he asked. "We put them out with a sleeping draught on the way here, but as you can see, when they woke up they weren't happy. But they should be all right now."

"What breeds have yeh got?" asked Hagrid, his whole face lit up in the moonlight.

"We've got a Hungarian Horntail, a Chinese Fireball, a Common Welsh Green, and a Swedish Short-Snout," replied Charlie. "And why did you bring her?" he said, frowning at Madame Maxime. "The champions aren't supposed to know what's coming. She's bound to tell her student."

"Jus' figured she'd like ter see 'em," Hagrid shrugged nonchalantly.

"So the champions have ter battle 'em?" asked Hagrid.

"Not battle them, just get past them," Charlie told him. "We'll be ready if things get out of hand, with our extinguishing spells and all. But I'm telling you, I don't envy the one which gets the Horntail. Vicious beast, that one." He pointed at its tail, and Harry saw with another thrill of horror that there were long spikes protruding from it.

Some of Charlie's fellow keepers carried a large cluster of eggs, and placed them at the stunned Horntail's side. Hagrid moaned longingly as he stared at them. Charlie sighed and gave him a stern look. "I've got them counted," he said. After a moment of silence, he asked curiously, "How's Harry?"

"Ah, he's all righ'," replied Hagrid. "Could be better, though. Yeh know, after that horrible article was written abou' him in the Daily Prophet, everyone was teasin' him, you know. Got ter tell yeh, though, he's gettin' a lot of support from his fellow champion, Diggory. The two of 'em are becomin' really close. I think Cedric thinks of 'Arry as his little brother. Very protective of 'im, you see."

"That's good," said Charlie. "Mum was furious when she read that article. Skeeter's always talking rubbish, you know. Worst damn reporter in the entire world, if you ask me."

"Yeah," said Hagrid. "I ain't seen 'im talkin' to your brother much. I swear, those two're on rocky ground or summat."

"You mean Ron?" frowned Charlie.

"Yeah," said Hagrid. "Dunno if he believes the article or what, but those two ain't talkin'."

Charlie's ears turned red, not a good sign for a Weasley. "That idiot," he sniped. "I wish I could talk to him. He should know better than to believe that cow."

Getting tired of the conversation, Harry walked away. He was sick of people analyzing the article, talking about Skeeter, talking about him. He knew the two were defending him, but just the thought of Skeeter made him angry. Did that woman write for the paper just to get things messed up, and spread gossip and lies about people?

Harry slowly walked back to the castle, his mind still filled with shock about the dragons. He had almost reached the castle when he bumped smack into Igor Karkaroff.

"Hey, who's there?" Karkaroff shouted. Of course, Harry didn't answer. He had a feeling where Karkaroff was going; he was going to investigate the dragons. Who had told him? Harry loved Hagrid dearly, but he wouldn't put it past him to have told Karkaroff he was taking Madame Maxime somewhere. Karkaroff was probably going to walk around until he found them.

That meant that Fleur and Viktor would probably find out about the dragons, and that meant that Cedric was the only one who didn't know what was coming. Harry knew immediately that he had to tell him, it was only fair. Plus, after everything Cedric had done for him, Harry wanted to give back. He regarded the Hufflepuff boy as a very close friend of his now, and maybe the two of them could work together on finding a solution to getting past the dragons. He decided that he'd look for him first thing in the morning and let him know.

Back in the common room, Hermione was still there, sitting by the fire. She was reading a book, and Harry plopped down next to her. He whispered to her everything that he had seen. At first, she was scandalized.

"Hagrid shouldn't have done that!" she exclaimed. "That's cheating!"

"It doesn't matter now," Harry sighed. "The fact is, Fleur and Krum'll probably know by later tonight or tomorrow morning. I have to tell Cedric, there's no question. He deserves to know."

"You really care about Cedric, don't you?" asked Hermione.

"Yes, I do," answered Harry. "He's done a lot to make me feel better about everything. And you have, too. I just wish that Ron would get his head on straight. I want to give him a big kick up the arse."

"Harry, watch your language," Hermione said, but she couldn't help but smile a little. "Ron does deserve to have common sense drilled into him, though."

"Reckon we should play a prank on him? I've got the book Fred and George gave me for my birthday, the same book Sirius has."

"Oh Harry, are you sure that's going to help?" She frowned.

"Well, it'll show that I can retaliate," Harry replied, a mischievous glint coming into his eyes.

"Fine, fine. I won't be able to persuade you not to do it, will I?"

"Nope." He grinned.

"I'm not helping you, though. Just as long as you know that."

"I'm not asking you to," he answered. "I can do this myself. Maybe Fred and George can assist me, though. Listen, I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Harry. And don't worry about the dragons. I can tell, even when you were talking about pranking Ron, that it was on your mind. If you'd like, we can go to the library tomorrow and look at books on them."

"Thanks, Hermione. I mean it. You're a big help."

"No problem, Harry."

As Harry climbed into bed, his heart was still heavy with the thought of getting past a vicious dragon. Would Trelawney's yearly prediction finally come true this year? Would Harry look death in the face while doing this crazy task?

Stop thinking about it and go to sleep, he told himself. After all, you've got friends that are willing to help you, and I'm sure your guardians will, too.

He finally managed to get to sleep after a while, his last thought being of Charlie Weasley, saying he and the dragon keepers would be ready for action if the task got out of hand. At least that's comforting, he told himself as his eyes drifted closed.


	24. The First Task

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Hey all! Thanks again for the reviews!

One of my reviewers offered a really neat idea about the whole newspaper article thing. I never considered that, because Harry absolutely hates talking to reporters. That's why I don't see it happening, but it was a really neat idea!

Please enjoy this chappie!

Chapter 24: The First Task

The next day after breakfast, Harry went up to Cedric at the Hufflepuff table. "I need to talk to you," he said, the anxiety about the dragons still bubbling inside him.

"Okay," said Cedric, seeing the look on his younger friend's face. "Let's go outside the Great Hall, then."

So the two boys walked outside, and Harry explained to Cedric everything he had seen.

"Are you serious?" Cedric said. "Wow, that's unbelievable."

"You're telling me," Harry muttered. "Merlin, hopefully we'll figure something out."

"I'll go to the library later," said Cedric. "If you haven't worked something out by the time I go, maybe you could come, too."

"Thanks," said Harry.

"Well, thanks for telling me," replied Cedric. "Sometimes, though, you're too noble for your own good."

Harry blushed and smiled. "I just figured you should be prepared."

At that moment, Mad-Eye Moody came out of the Great Hall and saw the two boys. "Potter, may I have a word in my office?" he asked.

Harry looked at him. "Okay," he said. "I'll see you later, Cedric."

"Okay. Don't worry, Harry, everything will be fine. I'll talk to you later."

Harry walked along with Professor Moody, hearing the constant clunking noise of his wooden leg. They arrived at his office, and Harry remembered it from the last time he was here; he'd come here with Neville after the class where Moody had demonstrated the Unforgivable Curses.

As soon as Moody had closed and locked the door, he sat down in the seat across from Harry. "I must commend you, Potter," he said. "That was a very honorable thing to do."

Harry felt his heart thumping painfully in his chest. How had Moody known what the two champions were talking about?

"Don't worry," Moody growled. "Cheating often plays a part in this tournament. I'm not going to say anything."

"I didn't cheat!" Harry defended himself. "It was sort of an accident that I found out."

"I'm not accusing you, laddie," Moody told him. "Old Karkaroff and Maxime probably have cheated, though. I have to warn you about old Karkaroff. He's a cunning fellow."

"I know about him," said Harry. "I'll be careful."

"Your guardians are very watchful of you, aren't they?"

"Yes," said Harry.

"I notice you're also getting very close to Diggory. I can see he really looks out for you as well."

"Yeah, he's been really supportive."

"Good. Well, have you thought about what you're going to do about the dragons?"

"I can't think of anything," Harry admitted. He then muttered under his breath, "Professor Trelawney's probably right, I will end up dead."

"Oh, Potter," said Moody. "Don't be discouraged. Why do you put any merit in what that old bat says anyway? I'm not going to tell you how to beat your dragon, but I will give you a little advice. PLAY TO YOUR STRENGTHS!"

"What strengths?" said Harry miserably. "I don't have any!"

"Oh, come on, Potter!" said Moody exasperatedly. "What are you really, really good at?"

Harry thought for a moment. What WAS he really good at? Well, there was Defense Against the Dark Arts, and there was flying ...

Then, an idea came to him. He had been learning about Summoning Charms from Professor Flitwick this year, and if he worked on it for a little longer, maybe he could summon his Firebolt to him. He'd have to spend every single moment until Tuesday practicing, but maybe he and Cedric could practice together.

"I think Diggory's going to work it out for himself," said Moody, seeming to read Harry's mind. "You two will probably have different ways of getting past your obstacle. But I'm sure he'll work on summoning charms with you. Excellent, Potter. I knew you'd get it!"

"Are you a ... a ..." Harry struggled to remember the word.

"Legillimens? Why yes, Potter. Very, very good."

"Professor, do you have any idea who put my name in the Goblet?"

"Well, I'm putting nothing past old Karkaroff. And old Snape looks suspicious to me as well."

Harry wished once again that Ron and he were talking; the youngest Weasley boy would get into a rant about Snape, and he and Harry would probably talk about the old, batlike Potions Master for hours.

"But I'm not sure who it is," continued Moody. "But don't worry, laddie, I'm keeping an eye out. But you're a very smart boy. Thinking of brooms and flying all by yourself! You hardly needed any prompting."

Harry still felt extremely nervous about summoning his Firebolt and somehow flying to get past the dragon. What if it didn't work?

"Don't worry about the what ifs, boy. Now, I think it's time you left, and you can get back to your Sunday morning activities."

"Thanks, Professor," said Harry, and he got up and left the office.

xxx

Later that day, Harry and Cedric were in an empty classroom. They had asked each other whether they'd found a solution to getting past their dragon, and both had said yes. So they were now in the classroom, discussing how they were going to do it.

"Well, what I was thinking of doing," said Cedric, "was transfiguring a rock on the ground. I figured I'd turn it into a dog, and use that to distract the dragon while I run past it."

"How are you going to do that?" asked Harry. "I mean, I've never learned that kind of complicated transfiguration yet."

"You'll learn it in a couple of years. Remember, I'm a sixth-year, and we've just finished learning about that kind of stuff. What's your idea?"

"Well, I was thinking I'd use a summoning charm to bring my Firebolt to me."

"Wow, that's so cool, Harry!" Cedric exclaimed, beaming. "I told you you don't give yourself enough credit. You're a really good flyer. You'd have won that match last year if it weren't for those stupid Dementors."

Harry flushed embarrassedly. "Thanks, but you're really good, too."

Cedric patted Harry's shoulder. "Thanks, but I mean it," he said.

"But it was Professor Moody who told me to play to my strengths. He really shouldn't be helping me."

"Well, it makes sense that he is," said Cedric. "After all, you were forced into this tournament. It wasn't fair. Why don't I work on summoning charms with you? Are you comfortable with them yet?"

"Almost. Thanks, Cedric. When do you have time?"

"Now, if you want to."

"Okay."

So the two friends worked on summoning charms for a long time. Harry summoned his invisibility cloak from his dorm, and Cedric was ecstatic when he saw it.

"Wow, my father owns one of those!" he said. "Unfortunately, he needs it sometimes when he works at the Ministry."

"That's too bad," said Harry. "Well, I can always let you borrow this if you need it."

"Wow, thanks. You look exhausted. Why don't we sit down and you can relax for a minute?"

So they sat in chairs next to each other, and Cedric thought, since he had brought his father up, he might as well tell Harry what he felt he should have told him earlier. "Listen, Harry, I'm sorry about how my dad acted at your birthday party. It wasn't right of him to embarrass you like that."

"It doesn't matter," Harry answered.

"Yes, it does," Cedric insisted. "See, Dad always wants me to be perfect. I'm the only child in my family, you see, and he's always had really high expectations of me. I got into this tournament mostly because I want to make him proud. I mean, being champion's pretty cool, but all the attention it gives me is rather ..."

"Embarrassing?" Harry supplied.

"Yeah, it's like everyone thinks I'm the best guy in the school or something. And listen, whenever I see people wearing those stupid Support Cedric Diggory badges, I tell them to take them off. It's not fair that they wear those. I saw what they say when they're pressed, and it's not right. You didn't cheat!"

"It's okay, Cedric. I don't like the badges, but there's nothing I can really do about it. I really appreciate your support, though. And that's okay about your dad. I just hope he doesn't stress you out too much. And you should enjoy being champion. At least no one's making fun of you. What Rita Skeeter said in that article about you was awful, though."

"What did I tell you about that woman, Harry? Don't worry about her. Don't pay her any attention."

"I'll try not to. And don't pay any attention to Ron either. I don't understand why he's so horrible to you anyway. Probably still sore about the stupid Quidditch match. Or maybe he's just jealous." Harry thought about all the charisma and charm Cedric had, about how everyone looked up to him and flocked to him, about how he looked the perfect part of a champion.

"Oh, Ron doesn't bother me," said Cedric. "I hope you two make up soon. I can tell you miss him."

Was Harry that obvious? Hermione had said the same thing. "Well, I won't let him be nasty to you," he promised. "I'll make up with him once he grows up."

The two talked for a little longer, and then they left to go back to their dormitories.

xxx

Tuesday came way too fast for Harry. His classes seemed to go by in a blur, and lunch was upon him before he knew it. Ron was completely stony-faced and silent, and Hermione constantly tried to force conversation between them. Harry could tell she was getting sick of the state of affairs.

After lunch, Professor McGonnagall told Harry that the champions were meeting outside on the grounds. She looked really anxious, and so did Hermione. "Good luck, Harry," the bushy-haired girl said, squeezing his hand. "You'll be great."

"Yeah, good luck, mate," said Neville. Ginny gave him a smile, and that smile alone made a warm feeling arise within the raven-haired boy. "I'll see you afterwards," he promised his friends.

Professor McGonnagall walked him to the clump of trees near where the dragons had been. Harry saw that a tent had been put up, and the Transfiguration professor said, "Listen, Mr. Potter. The champions are already in the tent, and Bagman's coming in a minute. You'll stay in the tent until it's your turn. No one will think the worse of you if you just do your best. Good luck."

Harry felt the anxiety in the pit of his stomach again. "Thank you, Professor," he managed to get out. He knew Sirius and Remus would be in the crowd today, and he hoped he could make them proud. He walked inside the tent, and saw that the other champions were nervous too.

"Hi, Harry," greeted Cedric, who was pacing nervously up and down, up and down.

"Hi, Cedric. Are you all right?"

"Just nervous, that's all."

"Yeah, me too."

"You vill be fine, both of you," said Krum, looking the same as he always did. "How have you been, Potter?"

"All right," said Harry. "I saw you at the World Cup, Viktor. Congratulations for your team!"

"Thank you," said Viktor, the expression on his face not changing at all.

"My grandmuzzer was one of the Veela who was at ze Cup," said Fleur, beaming at the others.

"Wow, really?" said Cedric, now knowing why she looked so much like one herself.

"Yes, indeed," said Fleur.

At that moment, Ludo Bagman walked into the tent. "Hello, hello, hello!" he said jovially, beaming. "Are you four ready? We're going to have a good time today!"

"Yeah," said Harry, Bagman's enthusiasm definitely missing from his voice.

Bagman was holding a bag in his hand. "Each of you will take something from this bag," he said. "This something will represent what you have to get past in this task." He handed the bag to Viktor, who took out the Chinese Fireball. The Bulgarian didn't look at all surprised. Fleur was next, taking out the Swedish Short-Snout. Harry's stomach filled with dread. He remembered what Charlie had said about the Horntail, and he shuddered to think what would happen if he got it. But at the same time, he didn't want Cedric to be in that amount of danger either.

Luckily, when the older champion reached his hand into the bag, he pulled out the Common Welsh Green, so he was going to be safer than Harry, who of course got the Horntail. Harry felt his anxiety level increase dramatically. How was he possibly going to survive this encounter?

Viktor's model dragon had a "1" on it, Fleur's had a "2", Cedric's had a "3", and Harry's had a "4." This meant that he was the last champion to get past his dragon. This just kept getting worse! He'd have to wait while the other champions did their thing, and he was not looking forward to the waiting at all.

"Deep breaths, champions!" Bagman boomed. "When I blow the whistle, Krum, it will be your turn. Delacour, you will be after Krum. Diggory, then it'll be you, and then it'll finally be you, Potter. Your goal is to CAPTURE THE GOLDEN EGG. Harry, can I have a quick word with you, please?" he said.

"Er ... okay," said Harry, wondering what the man wanted.

He and Bagman went outside the tent, and Bagman put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Anything I can get you, my lad?" he asked. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, thanks," said Harry.

"Are you sure? I don't mind sharing a few pointers with you."

"No, it's all right. I know what I'm going to do. And if you did share anything with me, that would be cheating."

Bagman beamed at him. "You cherish honesty, don't you, Harry?" he chuckled. "You're a good lad."

Harry flushed. "Can I go back in the tent now?"

"Yes, you can. Good luck! I've got to run!"

Harry walked back inside the tent, and a few minutes later, they heard a whistle blowing. Viktor hurried out, and for once, his facial expression had changed. He now actually looked nervous.

"Good luck, Viktor," Cedric said. "Show that dragon what you've got!"

The waiting was as horrible as Harry had imagined. He had to suffer through Bagman's commentary, and the roars, oooooh's, and aaaaaaah's from the crowd. About fifteen minutes later there was one deafening roar and the blow of a whistle.

"Krum must have gotten past it," said Harry.

"Yes, I believe he has," said Fleur.

"Very good, very good!" Bagman was yelling. "Now, the marks from the judges!"

The marks must have been given silently, because Harry couldn't hear any sound from the judges. But then there was more cheering and clapping from the crowd, and another blow of the whistle. Fleur hurried out, her beautiful Veela face also showing signs of anxiety.

So the afternoon rolled on. Fleur and Cedric both had their turns, Harry hoping that all the champions were all right. Before he knew it, though, the whistle blew again, and it was Harry's turn.

He faced the vicious-looking dragon, and drew out his wand. "Accio Firebolt!" he screamed.

Some people in the crowd snickered at him, the loudest of the laughers being those of Draco Malfoy and some other Slytherins as Harry simply stood there, waiting. "What is he doing?" he heard people saying to each other. "He's going to get mauled!"

But suddenly, the spectators went crazy as Harry's broom came zooming towards him. He caught it swiftly, and was on it in the blink of an eye.

The next few minutes went by in a haze. It was a game of chase, and Harry was very quick and tried his best to avoid the torrents of fire pouring from the dragon's nostrils. Come on, Potter! he told himself. This is a Quidditch match, just a Quidditch match! It's like catching the Snitch! Come on, you can do it! He could hear the crowd yelling, and he thought he could hear Hermione and Ginny screaming with fear for him.

Then, miraculously, it was over. Harry dismounted from his broom, clutching the golden egg in his hand. The crowd went absolutely ballistic. The dragon keepers hurried over and cast "Stupefy!" on the Horntail, who slowly fell. Hagrid, Moody, and McGonnagall came rushing to meet Harry, and they were all looking very proud and pleased.

"Very good, Potter! That was excellent!" smiled Moody.

"I'm very proud of you, Mr. Potter," said McGonnagall.

"Wow, I knew yeh had it in yeh!" boomed Hagrid, patting Harry's shoulder so hard that he almost fell. "Yer parents would be so proud of yeh, my boy!"

Unfortunately, Harry had not come out of the ordeal totally unscathed. He had a burn on his shoulder, and McGonnagall informed him that he had to go see Madame Pomfrey. She ushered him toward the medical tent and he went in, only to see Cedric there also. "Are you all right, Cedric?" he asked in concern. "You did great out there!"

"Thanks, Harry. You were wonderful too!" Cedric said, smiling happily. "Yeah, I'm all right. Just got a little burned. You?"

"Yeah, me too. But Madame Pomfrey's going to take care of it."

The mediwitch looked exasperated as she finished with Cedric and began to fix up Harry. "What will be brought into the school next?" she harrumphed. "First Dementors and now dragons! Will it be lions and tigers next year, or what?"

After Harry's healing was finished, he and Cedric walked out of the tent together. Then Cedric bid Harry goodbye and walked over to Cho and his parents, who gave him a big hug. Harry could see Ginny, Hermione, Neville, Ron, Fred, George, and all his housemates, and he ran over to them.

He could also see Sirius and Remus, who looked full of joy. "Wow, you did so well, Harry!" beamed Ginny. "I'm so proud of you! You were wonderful!" She threw her arms around him.

"Wow, kiddo, you were amazing," said Sirius. "I was so scared for you, but you convinced me there was nothing to worry about."

Remus ruffled Harry's hair. "Your parents would be so proud of you," he said fondly. "I know we are."

"Well done, Harry," said Neville.

"Knew you could do it, mate!" said Fred.

"You took the shortest time to get the egg!" yelled George.

"Wow, I'm so impressed, Harry," grinned Hermione.

Ron just gave him a long look, and finally said, "Whoever put your name in that Goblet definitely was wrong about you if they didn't think you were smart."

"Caught on, have you?" Harry said slowly, looking at the redhead.

"Look, I'm sorry," said Ron. "I was a real prat. And I'm sorry about what I said when it came to Diggory. I know you're friends with him and all. Can you forgive me?"

Harry just looked at him. "Listen," he said honestly, "it's going to take a while for me to trust you again."

Ron looked uncomfortable. "I know. But can we just be friends again, please?" He put out his hand for Harry to shake.

Harry gave him another look, and finally nodded his head. Ron smiled, and the two shook hands.

Hermione burst into tears. "What's the matter, Hermione?" asked Ron, concerned.

"Boys!" she sobbed. "Can't live with them, can't live without them!" She buried her face in her hands. Sirius couldn't help letting out a chuckle, but also gave Ron a piercing look that clearly said, "If you ever hurt my godson again, I'll hurt you." Remus was just happy the two were friends again.

"'Mione's as insane as ever," muttered Ron conspiratorially to Harry; Harry gave a slow grin. Fred and George patted Ron's back.

"Now, it's time for you to get your score!"

The crowd grew quiet after a minute, and Harry received his marks out of ten. Dumbledore gave him a nine, Bagman gave him a ten, Percy gave him a seven, ("you big prat!" interjected Ron), Maxime gave him an eight, and Karkaroff gave him a four ("you bigoted pig!" shouted Ron. "You gave Krum ten!") Harry couldn't help but feel a swoop of happiness that he had Ron back again. It was true what Cedric and Hermione had said; he had missed his very first friend.

After it was over, Harry and his guardians and friends went walking back towards the school. "Wow, you're tied in first place with Cedric!" Ginny exclaimed. "That's wonderful!"

Harry couldn't believe it.

"You were unbelievable, mate," said Charlie Weasley, running towards them before they could disappear into the school. "Listen, you've got to hang around a little longer. Bagman wants a word with all the champions."

"Okay," said Harry. "I'll meet you all in the Gryffindor common room, okay?"

"See you there," grinned Sirius. "I bet there's a party planned!"

"Got it in one, Padfoot," said Fred, chuckling.

Harry went into the tent, which now looked friendly and inviting. Bagman gave each champion an egg, telling them to uncover the clue lodged inside. "This will be extremely important for your second task," he beamed. "This task will take place on February 24. Now, you all may go!"

"Thank you, Mr. Bagman," said Fleur. The champions began walking back to the school.

"Good job, all of you," said Harry.

"You, too," said Krum. "Vonder vot the next task will be."

As Harry headed back to his common room, his heart felt light. He couldn't fathom it, but he'd managed to defy death and Professor Trelawney just one more time.


	25. Celebrations and Clues

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Hey all! Thanks for the reviews! You're probably right, lions and tigers would be a breeze next to dragons and dementors!

I'm glad you're enjoying the dynamic between Cedric and Harry. As I said before, I completely adore Cedric. He's the best of them all.

Chapter 25: Celebrations and Clues

When Harry arrived in the common room, he was greeted with a round of applause. Sirius, Remus, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George, Lee, Neville and all his other housemates were there, cheering at his entrance. "Sit down, Harry!" said Fred jovially as he tried to get through the crowd.

"You're going to love what we have in store for you!" said George.

So Harry sat down in one of the squashy armchairs, and Sirius and Remus sat next to him. "Wow, I missed this place," Sirius said as he stared around the common room.

"Yeah, it reminds me of old times," sighed Remus reminiscently. "Nothing seems to have changed."

"Don't tell anyone," said Fred, "but George and I are about to go down to the kitchens to nick some food. We'll come back and then we get to celebrate in style!"

"I should tell McGonnagall," said Remus, adopting a stern tone.

"But oh, you wouldn't!" exclaimed Fred, putting a hand to his mouth in mock shock.

"O Humble Sir, please do not tell on us!" wheedled George. "We promise to be your noble slaves if you promise not to raise the temper of the lady McGonnagall!"

Remus and Sirius couldn't help it; they burst out laughing. Fred and George high-fived each other, giving huge grins to the crowd. "We'll be back, honorable men!" yelled George.

"Hey, what about the ladies?" said Ginny indignantly.

"Don't worry, Gin-Gin, we apologize, your Royal Highness," said Fred. He and George then waltzed out of the room.

"Those two," grumbled Hermione, exasperated.

"Oh lighten up, 'Mione," said Ron. "Harry here's tied in first place! He deserves a celebration!"

Within minutes, Fred and George were back, carrying huge bags of food. There were potato chips, chocolate frogs, all different kinds of sandwiches, and little cakes and cookies. "The house-elves were very happy to help us," said Fred, causing Hermione to make a "harrumph!" noise.

"Hermione's obsessed with house-elves," Ron informed Sirius and Remus. "Thinks they should be free. Got Harry and I to wear these badges that say SPEW on them."

"It's not spew, Ron!" exclaimed Hermione, glaring at the redhead. "It's S.P.E.W!"

"Oh, whatever," said Ron.

"Don't be so quick to dismiss it, Ron," said Remus. "Hermione's got a good point."

"Thank you, Remus," beamed Hermione. "I just wish more people would be interested!"

Everyone started feasting on the delicious food, and Fred and George got out candies from their pockets. "Hey, you wanna try one, Neville?" said George, holding out a piece of hard candy.

"Should I?" said Neville, grinning. "Or are you two playing a joke on me?"

"No joke," said Fred innocently. "It's just a piece of candy, that's all."

"Oh, okay," said Neville, gullible as always. Everyone watched with baited breath as he put the candy into his mouth.

For a moment, nothing happened. "Thanks, guys. This is good," he said, smiling. But all of a sudden, there was a POP! and a guinea pig appeared in the spot where Neville had been. It started to make a terrified squeaking noise, and when it looked at the twins, it uttered an angry purr. Everyone in the common room started laughing, with Fred, George, Lee, Sirius, and Remus chortling the hardest.

"That's something truly Marauder-worthy," said Sirius between chuckles. "That's genius! How did you do that, boys?"

"Some simple charms," beamed Fred.

"It didn't take much," laughed George.

Harry was taking in the scene, and he grabbed the guinea pig off the floor, stroking it. "Awww, look how cute it is!" giggled Ginny from a few seats away.

"I don't think Neville's going to be very happy with you when he reappears," Remus warned. "How long does the charm last?"

"A minute," replied George immediately.

"There's no way anyone can get as angry as Mum does," said Fred in an unconcerned tone.

"Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes!" the twins chorused together. "Our new line of products!"

"Yeah, they want to start a joke shop when they get out of Hogwarts," said Harry. "They want to get business booming!"

Hermione was glaring at the twins with an infuriated look on her face. "Can't you two ever be serious?" she griped.

"Merlin, Hermione, you're as bad as our mother," said Fred.

"You need to loosen up a little," said George.

At that moment, there was another POP! and Neville materialised, his face turning red with embarrassment. But he took it in good humor, and even started laughing as well. "Good one," he said to Fred and George.

"Why, thank you, Monsieur Longbottom," said Fred.

"Our first product tester!" said George, shaking Neville's hand vigorously.

"You know," said Hermione, glaring at the twins again, "that could be really dangerous! Why would you test these products on people?"

"Ah, we tested them on ourselves first," said George. "Gred and I didn't want to run into that problem either."

"Yeah, me and old Forge here make sure nothing's unsafe," said Fred, pounding his twin on the back.

The party continued late into the night. Sirius and Remus stayed for a few hours, and then they bid goodbye to Harry and left, promising to see him again in a few days' time. "Make sure those twins don't destroy school property," Sirius grinned.

"Or I really will tell Professor McGonnagall," Remus laughed.

Speaking of the woman, she came into the common room at about one in the morning, telling everyone that as much as she knew they were having fun and celebrating their champion's good fortune, it was time to go to bed. Fred and George, of course, tried to wheedle the professor into letting them party longer, but McGonnagall sternly put her foot down. Grumbling, the twins and Lee mock-bowed to her, causing her to scowl at them. They then disappeared up to their dormitory, followed by many others.

"Mate, are you coming to bed?" asked Ron, yawning.

"In a minute," said Harry. Ron and Hermione bid him good night and disappeared upstairs. It was now just he and Ginny left in the room.

"Did you enjoy your party?" Ginny asked, smiling.

"Yeah," said Harry. "It was a bit much, having the whole common room cheering for me, but the food and your brothers' antics were really something else."

"Yeah, and I had to grow up with them," Ginny giggled. "I'm glad you've made up with that idiot Ron, too."

"Yeah," answered Harry, "but as I said to him, it's going to take a while for me to trust him again."

"Well, it should," said Ginny indignantly. "He was a real git. He deserves to be on the outs until he grows up a bit."

"Well, I'm going to bed," Harry told her. "Thanks for the party. See you in the morning."

"See you. Congratulations for today, by the way. You were bloody fantastic!"

"Thanks."

xxx

The next day, Harry was in the bathroom brushing his teeth when he suddenly remembered about the egg Ludo Bagman had given all the champions so they could work out the clue for the second task. He had placed it in his robes pocket, and slowly got it out. He might as well be prepared, he thought to himself. It wouldn't be good to wait till the last minute and then have to rush. February was three months away, but he wanted to find the clue sooner rather than later.

He had just filled the sink with water, ready to wash himself. He placed the egg right near the sink and then began to wash.

The water was still in the sink, and he thought to himself, I might as well open the egg. He was so anxious to see what the clue was that he had totally forgotten to empty the water out.

When he opened the egg, a horrible screeching sound filled the air. It sounded like a banshee, and as Harry hurried to close it, he accidentally knocked it with his hand and caused it to go tumbling into the water.

Immediately, the screaming ceased, and at once, a beautiful melody began to sound in the water. Harry tried to listen, for he could hear muffled words, but he couldn't hear what they were. So he put his head down, ending up getting it in the water. And then he heard:

Come listen to our voices sound,

We cannot sing above the ground.

An hour long you'll have to look

To discover what we took.

But after an hour, the prospect's black

Too late, it's gone, it won't come back.

Harry let out a gasp of surprise. He couldn't believe it! He had found the clue through this string of events! He closed the egg, then opened it again, and listened to the song once more. It's going to take me a while to figure out what this means, he realized. Maybe I can ask Hermione, or Cedric and I can try to work it out. He knew at once he should give Cedric a clue as to what to do so that he could hear the riddle.

As it happened, Hermione was in the common room when Harry walked downstairs. He told her about what he had heard, and she said in a mock imitation of Professor Trelawney, "The Fates told you to accidentally drop that egg into the water."

"Yes, my dear," Harry said, continuing with her mockery. "Otherwise, you would die a most gruesome and painful death!"

In seriousness, Hermione promised to help him work out the clue if he needed help.

xxx

The next day they had Care of Magical Creatures. Poor Hagrid was beside himself with worry. Harry thought some more about the egg clue as he went through the pointless task of taking the Blast-Ended Skrewts for a walk. Unfortunately, or fortunately, as most students thought, there were only ten Skrewts left. All the others were dead; they had killed each other.

But there was a disturbing development in the class when half an hour into it, none other than Rita Skeeter showed up, carrying a horrible-looking handbag. "Hello, Hagrid!" she said cheerfully as she surveyed the scene. "How are you today?"

"I'm fine, thank yeh," grumbled Hagrid, glaring at the reporter. "What do yeh want?"

"Ah," said Rita, "I was just very interested in what you and your class are studying. What are these fascinating creatures?"

"Blast-Ended Skrewts," said Hagrid uncomfortably.

"Blast-Ended who?" said Skeeter.

"Skrewts."

"Ah. I've never heard of them before in my entire life. Where on Earth did you get them from?"

Harry's heart sank as he waited for Hagrid's answer. Where HAD he gotten the Skrewts from?

"It's none of yer business," said Hagrid ferociously. "Yeh must have some ulterior motive fer comin' here."

"As a matter of fact," said Skeeter, seeming to ignore Hagrid's anger, "I was wondering if you would be so kind as to grant me an interview."

"If yeh're gonna ask me about 'Arry, I'm not answerin' any questions regardin' 'im," Hagrid said in a very final sort of tone.

"No worries," said Skeeter, plastering on her normal fake smile. "I will only ask you things you are comfortable talking about. How about we make it for this Saturday at the Three Broomsticks?"

"All righ'," said Hagrid, and Harry's heart sank even lower. What horrible story was Rita Skeeter going to come up with about Hagrid? Sirius and Remus had told him that Hagrid was what wizards called a half-giant, and the majority of the wizarding world was very prejudiced against giants. Skeeter was bigoted against werewolves, so Harry guessed that she'd have nothing nice to say about Hagrid either.

After the lesson was over, Harry, Ron, and Hermione hung back so they could talk to Hagrid. "I don't think you should go through with that interview," Hermione warned the half-giant. "Skeeter will probably find some disgusting thing to say about you."

"Ain't no harm in it," Hagrid reassured the trio. "I won't tell her anythin' I don' wan' ter."

"Just be careful," implored Harry. "I don't want you getting hurt."

"I will," Hagrid promised. "Get ter yer next class, now. Yeh don' wan' ter be late."

xxx

Double Divination that afternoon was absolute torture. "Do you know what I see looming ahead of us, my children?" Professor Trelawney said. She was seated on a poof before the fire, gazing at the students with a very worried look on her face.

"Oooooh, what, Professor?" cried Lavender Brown, staring at the Divination teacher with absolute adoration.

"Death, my dears," said Trelawney, sighing deeply. "Death. It is coming closer and closer to our school."

Ron snickered. Trelawney glared at him. "It is no laughing matter, my dear," she said angrily.

xxx

That night after dinner, Harry met up with Cedric and Cho to go flying. After they had flown animatedly around the Quidditch pitch for many enjoyable minutes, the three of them hung out in the Hufflepuff common room again. There were forced apologies from Cedric's dormmates, and Harry, being the forgiving person he was, said it was all right. He noticed the tension between the three of them and Cedric, and told his older friend to just forget about what they'd said. He hated seeing conflict between anyone because of him.

Cho started to become tired a few hours later, so she went to bed. Harry asked Cedric if they could talk outside the common room, because he had something to tell him. Cedric agreed, so the two boys took a nice walk around the castle.

"I worked out part of the egg clue," Harry informed him as they walked.

"Wow, you did?" said Cedric, impressed. "Merlin, Harry, you're quick. We only got the egg two days ago!"

"Well, I figured now would be the right time to start," Harry answered. He then launched into the tale of how he'd had the egg near the water, opened it, heard the sound of inhuman screeching, accidentally knocked it into the water, and then heard the melody. Hermione had written the lyrics of the short song down on a piece of parchment twice, so Harry handed one copy to Cedric.

"Hey, thanks," Cedric said. Smiling softly, he added, "But really, Harry, you're too noble for your own good. You know I was supposed to work that out for myself."

"I know," Harry replied, "but you helped me with the summoning charms for the first task. I had to help you with this one."

Cedric smiled again and patted Harry's shoulder. "You're still too noble," he murmured. "Anyway, I wonder what this means. It sounds like something we treasure is going to be taken away from us, and we need to find it again."

"Yeah, but we need to work out why the egg screamed when it wasn't underwater," Harry said. "Do you think we could go to the library?"

"Yeah, why don't we?" replied Cedric. "I'm a prefect, but tonight's not my night for patrol. If you get caught out-of-bounds, I'll just tell them you were with me, and they'll understand. After all, it's for a good cause."

So the two champions walked to the library. "Where should we start looking?" asked Harry as they wandered through the stacks of books.

"Let's search in the Underwater Creatures section," suggested Cedric.

He and Harry sat at a table, after they had collected several weighty tomes. They started looking through them, and they spent a while pondering over this mystery.

After about an hour, Cedric's gray eyes lit up. "Hey, Harry, I found it!" he exclaimed. "This makes sense! Look!"

He had a book open to a passage on merpeople. It said:

Merpeople are known to live underwater. Their speech is understood when they are below the surface, but when they are above water, it will sound like they are screaming to the human ear. The sound is so ear-shattering that humans never really listen to them when they are not submerged.

"Wow, that's IT!" said Harry happily. "But what do you think the task has to do with merpeople?"

"Well," said Cedric, a serious expression on his face, "there are merpeople in the lake, you know. The lake right near the castle."

"Oh, I didn't know that," said Harry. "I thought the giant squid was the only thing in there."

"Nope," said Cedric. "Cho told me. Merpeople are in there as well."

"So do you think we have to go in the lake for the second task?" asked Harry. "What do you think we have to do in there?"

Cedric thought for a minute. "Maybe," he said slowly, "we have to go in the lake and find something. It sounds like, as I said, something's going to be taken away which means a lot to us, and we have to find it before an hour's up."

"Maybe it'll be taken by the merpeople," said Harry, experiencing the same vein of thoughts. But then his face grew worried. "How on Earth do we breathe underwater?"

"Don't worry, there are several ways," said Cedric at once. "We can make sure we know what we're doing by looking in here. I'm getting tired now, but maybe we could come back here some other time."

"Okay," said Harry, feeling comforted by his older friend's words. Cedric really was a role model.

"I was thinking of talking to the Slytherins, you know, about being friends with us. I've really been thinking a lot about what you said at my birthday party: all Slytherins can't be evil." Said Harry after a moment of thought.

"I'm glad you've thought about it, Harry. Maybe some time this week we could talk to Professor Snape and see if he'd let a few of us talk to them."

Harry was worried about talking to the sour Potions Master, but he'd do anything if it was for a good cause. "Don't worry," Cedric said, seeing the twitch of anxiety that passed over Harry's face. "Believe me, I've heard about how Snape treats you, and it's not right. I'll talk to him if you'd like."

"Thanks. How about I be there with you, though? It wouldn't seem fair to make you do it all by yourself."

"Oh, that's okay. But you can be there if you want. Anyway, let's go back to our dorms."

So the two Hogwarts champions left the library and walked back. They bid each other good night and Harry continued back to the Gryffindor common room. He actually felt really good; he and Cedric were on their way to being prepared for the second task, and they were going to talk to the Slytherins. They were going to try to remove the Gryffindor/Slytherin rivalry that had been present for so long. Harry decided that he was going to talk to Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and Cho to see if they wanted to get involved. Those thoughts continued to wander around his mind as he fell asleep that night.


	26. SANE: Slytherins are Not Evil

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

I'm glad you're still enjoying the story! I want to thank everyone who put me on their "favorite stories" lists. I really appreciate it!

As for Harry and Ron's friendship, my one reviewer is right when he/she points out that Harry shouldn't trust Ron again this soon. But, he is a forgiving soul, and he does know Ron might not react well to the prospect of talking to Slytherins. You'll see that your prediction is proved right in this chapter.

Also, some of you may think that Harry acts way, way older than 14 in this chapter. I'm inclined to agree, but I like writing him this way, because I think his experiences with the Dursleys truly opened his eyes to the cruelty and prejudice of the world. I never understood why this was not touched upon more in canon, but Rowling wrote her story the way she wanted to write it, and I can't fault her for that. After all, she's the one that gave us this fantastic world to play in, right?

Chapter 26: S.A.N.E: Slytherins are Not Evil

"You might as well just forget it, mate," said Ron as soon as Harry explained his idea a few days later about talking to the Slytherins. "Just look at the bunch of them. Loads of them are children of Death Eaters, they'll just become mini-Death Eaters themselves."

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed angrily. "That isn't always true! You see, I've been thinking, and I think the reason why so many Slytherins become Death Eaters is because they're not accepted anywhere else. Everyone else thinks they're evil, so they end up proving them right. Some people become what society makes of them."

"Well, you can talk to the Slytherins if you want," snapped Ron. "Count me out, though."

"Fine," growled Harry. "I just wish you'd grow up."

"Excuse me?" Ron spluttered. "Grow up?"

"Yes, Ron," said Harry. "Don't talk to me anymore right now."

"Fine." He stomped away, giving him and Hermione glares over his shoulder.

Harry was tired of Ron's prejudiced attitude. It was just as bad as Slytherins being prejudiced against Muggle-borns and Muggles if Gryffindors were that way against Slytherins. Harry had not forgotten his idea about pranking Ron that he had had when they were still not talking. But right now, he was too frustrated even to prank him. Just when he thought their friendship was looking up, Ron had to go and pull this bull.

Cedric told Harry that he'd already talked to Cho, and she was up for the idea. Hermione definitely sounded like she was ready to try it, and Neville and Ginny were very happy about it. So it was later that day that the whole group of them knocked on Snape's door.

When the Potions professor opened it, there was a quick expression of shock that flitted across his face. But then it changed to one of frustration. "What business do you have, interrupting my work?" he sneered.

"Excuse me, Professor," Cho said, "but we've all been thinking. We'd like to talk to the Slytherins, to see if they'd like to be friends with us. We want to try to change the rivalry that's been rampant in Hogwarts for so long."

"Yes," said Neville, bravely looking at Snape. "We don't think they're all evil, sir."

"A likely story," Snape snarled. "You've been against them from the beginning."

"Please, Professor," Harry said.

"Ah, Potter, should've known your hero complex would be in on this too," Snape drawled. "You never stay out of anything, do you?"

Harry kept eye contact with Snape, not letting his words dissuade him. "I know I've been stupid in the past," he admitted. "But I want to try to change things. All Slytherins can't be automatically evil. Professor dumbledore says Voldemort might-"

"DON'T SAY HIS NAME!" Snape shouted furiously.

"Er, sorry, You-Know-Who," Harry amended. "Professor Dumbledore says You-Know-Who might return, and we want to tell the Slytherins they don't all have to join him, that there's a better way. We realize that the reason so many Slytherins join him is because of their struggle for acceptance in the wizarding world."

Another look of surprise stole across Snape's greasy face. He looked at all the students with a long, piercing gaze. "Fine," he snapped. "You may talk to the Slytherins. We'll set up a time, and any Slytherin who is willing to listen to you will meet you in the Potions classroom at the verified time. If, however, I hear that any insults or nasty hexes have been traded between you, I will take more points from the house of the perpetrators than I've ever taken before. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," everyone chorused.

"Very well. Now get out of my sight. I will let you know what I decide when I decide it. Do not bother me again."

xxx

It was a few days later when Snape cornered Harry after Potions class. He told him that he and his group could meet the Slytherins at eight o'clock that night in the Potions room.

So at about seven forty-five, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville left Gryffindor Tower, Ron saying a grumpy goodbye and a "Good luck, see you in the hospital wing when you've been cursed to death," to them. "That stupid wanker!" exclaimed Ginny as they walked. "He's an example of what's wrong in today's society!"

Harry couldn't help but agree. Hermione was so angry she didn't even bother to chastise Ginny for her language.

When they reached the dungeons, Cedric and Cho were already there, and they smiled at the Gryffindors. "Are you ready for this?" Cedric asked.

"Yes, I am," Harry answered. "No matter what anyone says, let's remember to not let their words bother us."

"Yes, exactly," said Hermione. "They'll probably be harshest to us Gryffindors, but that's because we've unfortunately fed into the prejudice for so long."

"Some of them might even call you ... that word, Hermione," Cho warned.

"I know," Hermione sighed. "But I'm not going to get angry with them if they do. Children of Death Eaters are probably taught to use that word to describe Muggle-borns."

"I promise I won't hex any of them," said Harry. They continued to the Potions classroom, and they stepped inside. They were happy to see that there were many Slytherins sitting at desks. Some were even standing. Draco Malfoy was not among them. In a way Harry was glad, but in another way, he was disappointed that Malfoy wasn't even willing to listen to what he and his friends had to say. Crabbe and Goyle were also not present, and neither was Pansy Parkinson. But Millicent Bulstrode, Theodore Nott, Daphne Greengrass, and Blaise Zabini were there, along with many Slytherins from other years. There were especially a lot of younger ones there, first-years and second-years. "Hello, everyone," said Harry, standing at the front of the classroom as a teacher would, the others standing alongside him. "How are you all today?"

"Is this some kind of a joke?" Theodore Nott drawled. "Professor Snape told us to all come here, that you want to be nice to us. He's observing this from his office, you know, in case you decide to hex us or something."

"No, this is no joke, Theodore," said Hermione promptly.

"And what right do you have to call me by my first name, you filthy little mudblood?" spat Nott.

"Now, now," said Cho patiently, "there's no need for that. We really do want to be nice to you. This is definitely no joke."

"We've decided," said Cedric, "to reach out a hand to the Slytherin population. We realize that the majority of Hogwarts is against your house."

"Yeah, because the other houses can do no wrong," interrupted Blaise Zabini, glowering. "Even that old codger Dumbledore thinks so."

"We want to try to fix that," said Harry, trying his hardest not to let the insults against Dumbledore and Hermione get to him. "I'm sorry I've been such a prat in the past, thinking you're all evil. See, when I first came to Hogwarts, I knew practically nothing about the wizarding world. I only went by what others told me, and I didn't want to be a Slytherin because I was informed that all dark wizards came from that house. The Sorting Hat actually said I'd be good for Slytherin."

"Are you serious?" Daphne Greengrass questioned. "Harry Potter, You-Know-Who's downfall, in Slytherin?"

"Yes, Harry Potter in Slytherin," he smiled. "I should've seen it right from the start. All Slytherins can't be evil."

"I think the reason why so many dark wizards come from your house," said Hermione, "is because of the struggle for acceptance that you go through."

"And what do you know, mudblood?" said Nott furiously. "How could you have changed your mind so fast? What possessed you to start pretending to be nice to us?"

"Please, we're not pretending," Hermione said pleadingly. "Please listen to us, we'll explain everything."

"Well, it's really Cedric here who deserves the credit," Harry said, smiling at the Hufflepuff. "He said at my birthday party that a quarter of wizards can't be all evil. And I think that if we accept you more, you'll feel less like rebelling and doing bad things."

"Yes," agreed Neville. "We want there to be house unity at Hogwarts. Because of the Death Eaters escaping from Azkaban and the events of the Quidditch World Cup, we need it now more than ever."

"And Professor Dumbledore says Voldemort might return," said Harry, causing many of the Slytherins to gasp.

"Don't you dare say the Dark Lord's name, Potter!" Nott snarled.

"Why not?" Harry questioned, making direct eye contact with Nott. "It's just a name. Why do you give him so much power?"

A look of absolute fury crossed Nott's face. He looked like he'd been holding something in for a long time, and suddenly, it all seemed to pour out of him. "If you must know, my parents are Death Eaters," he roared. "They never went to Azkaban because they claimed to be under the Imperius Curse. They want me to join him if he returns."

"That's not going to happen, Theo," said Millicent Bulstrode. "The Dark Lord won't be coming back."

"We don't know that, though," said Harry. "Dumbledore says there are ways he could return. And you don't have to join him, Theodore. Why do you think you have to?"

"Maybe because I don't have a choice?" spat Nott. "My parents told me that they'd disown me or even kill me if I didn't join."

Underneath all the anger, Harry could detect fear in Nott's voice as well. Why had he even told them his parents were Death Eaters? He must know that Harry might tell Dumbledore, and his parents might get arrested. But maybe that was what Nott wanted. "Why did you tell us about your parents, Theodore?" asked Hermione gently. "It isn't right that they threatened to disown or murder you just because you might not want to do what they're doing."

Nott stood up, staring with unadulterated hatred at Hermione. "Do you even want to know what living in my family is like?" he exploded. "I was taught to call Muggle-borns mudbloods, Granger. I was taught that all mudbloods and Muggles are scum, that there's nothing better than eliminating the whole lot of them. And do you want to know what happened at the Quidditch World Cup? Do you really want to know?" he shouted, his voice becoming louder and louder. "Tell me you want to know, and I'll tell you!" The other Slytherins, especially the younger ones, were gazing at Theodore Nott with wide eyes.

"What happened at the World Cup?" asked Cedric, compassion in his honest gray eyes.

"My parents made me wear a mask and march with the other Death Eaters!" Nott howled. "And I watched my father-MY OWN FATHER-kill those two children! I thought I'd enjoy it, that's what I'd been taught all my life, to enjoy killing and torturing, but I hated it! It was horrible! Do you understand now? Have you ever watched the life just disappear from someone's eyes? Are you going to be nice to me anymore? You disgust me!"

Harry was shocked. He'd never thought that any Slytherin would pour their heart out like Theodore Nott just had. The group were all looking at him, and Harry said, "Of course we're still going to be nice to you. What your parents made you do wasn't right."

"No, it wasn't," Ginny agreed. "Parents shouldn't do that to their children, and make them watch stuff like that." Amazingly, she could see tears brimming behind Nott's eyes. She walked over to him, followed by the rest of the group, and Cedric put a hand on the boy's shoulder. Nott violently tried to swipe the hand away, but Cedric didn't give up. "I think you should talk to Professor Dumbledore," he said softly.

"NO!" wailed Nott. "I don't want to go to Azkaban!"

"What makes you think he'll send you to Azkaban?" asked Hermione. "You didn't like what you saw, and sometimes seeing things firsthand really cements in our minds the fact that we don't like them. Come on, I'll take you to see him. He's a very kind man, he'll understand."

"Fine, you disgusting little mudblood," yelled Nott, but everyone could see he was just trying to keep up pretenses now; he didn't really mean it. "Take me to the old codger. Where the hell am I supposed to live after my parents are arrested? Do you realize that if they escape, my life will be in constant danger? And I'll be disowned!"

"Dumbledore will protect you. He is a very powerful wizard," Cedric said quietly.

"Do you have any other family?" asked Cho gently.

"Yeah, I have an aunt, but she wants nothing to do with my parents!"

"Well, if she knows you're not like your parents, she'll probably change her mind about you," answered Hermione. "We won't know unless we try, right? Come on, Theodore." She took his arm. Nott tried to struggle, but eventually all his strength left him and Hermione led him out of the classroom.

The others just stood there, shocked. Poor Nott. He was usually such an impassive person, one who kept his resolve at all times. This meeting had just really brought all his hidden feelings to the surface. Harry wondered if Snape had listened to that entire confrontation, and what he thought. He also wondered if Nott could make a friend in Sirius. Sirius had definitely been more rebellious than Nott, because Nott had thought he had no other choice than to go with what his parents wanted for him, but Harry thought it still might be good for the two to talk.

"Well, then," said Cho, "Theodore was our example. It just goes to show that not all Slytherins are bad."

The first-years were looking at the group in awe. One girl timidly raised her hand. "Yes, what's your name?" asked Cedric.

"My name is Helena," said the girl. "So you're saying, you don't think I'm evil? I mean, it seemed like as soon as the hat yelled Slytherin, everyone was glaring at me."

"Yeah," said Bulstrode. "It's like everything you guys do is automatically good, and everything we do is automatically evil."

"I know, and I'm sorry," Harry apologized. "But my friends and I are going to try to do everything we can to get rid of that stereotype."

"Malfoy hates you," Zabini told them. "He heard about you coming to see us, and he completely refused to come and even listen to you."

"I think he wants to be a Death Eater," Helena said quietly.

"Well, that will be a shame if Malfoy decides to go down that path," said Ginny. "But all we can do is try to persuade him that there's a better way. You guys can definitely help, if you want. If people in his own house are saying he shouldn't support You-Know-Who, maybe he'll listen."

"You do realize what you're doing, don't you?" drawled Zabini. "You'll probably cause tension between people of our own house."

"We realize that," said Cho sadly. "We'd hate to cause that kind of atmosphere, but if we try to break the Slytherin mold, it will probably work out better in the long run. If any Slytherin tries to hurt you or bully you for coming here today, come to us, okay? Or go to Professors Snape or Dumbledore."

At that moment, Hermione came walking back into the room. "Theodore's with Professor Dumbledore," she announced. "They're sorting everything out. I do hope he's all right."

"Thanks, Hermione," said Harry. "We'll catch up with him later. And guys, make sure you tell Theodore the same thing, okay? If anyone tries to tease him or give him a hard time about his decision to turn his parents in, he can come to a professor or to us. He shouldn't have to put up with that kind of behavior. He's going through a very difficult time right now. Tonight was probably one of the hardest nights he's ever had, but it seems he's been keeping that inside for a long time. We must all try to support him."

Helena nodded, along with lots of the other first-years. Even some of the older ones looked as if they were understanding what the group was saying.

"I think we should call ourselves something," said Hermione. "We should ask Professor Snape if we could meet every once in a while, and get to know each other better."

"I'm up for it," said Helena, giving them a shy smile. "What should we call ourselves?"

"I was thinking," said Cho, "maybe an acronym for something. Something about you guys not all being evil."

"I've got it!" said Harry, his eyes twinkling as he looked at Hermione. "S.A.N.E.," he said. "Slytherins Are Not Evil. If you take just the letters, it spells sane, like we're sane for thinking there's good in everyone."

"I love it," said Hermione, understanding why Harry's eyes were twinkling; he was thinking of how she loved things like that. That was where she'd gotten S.P.E.W. from, after all. "I'll make some badges," she added. "All Slytherins who'd like to be involved can wear them. They'll say S.A.N.E. on them, and underneath that will be what it stands for. I'll get on that immediately after the meeting."

"I'll help," Cedric offered.

"Me, too," Cho agreed, with the others nodding.

"How about we meet again next week?" Harry asked. "We'll talk to Professor Snape again, and if he says yes, we'll meet in here at the same time."

All the Slytherins began to move, preparing to leave the classroom. Helena walked over to the group. "Thank you," she said, looking at them as though they were heroes. "Thanks for trying to help us."

"You're welcome, Helena," said Neville kindly. They could tell by the look on her face that now she didn't feel so ostracized by the whole school. As she and the rest of the Slytherins left the room, some of them voiced their thanks, while others just gave them looks. Some still looked doubtful, but Harry hoped he and the others could convince them that they were here to help.

Finally, it was only Blaise Zabini standing in the room. "Blaise, do you need something?" asked Ginny.

"I just wanted to, uh, thank you," Blaise said, a blush creeping onto his face. The group could see how difficult it was for the boy to voice this. "Thanks for what you did for Theo. He's been ... not right this year. I always wondered what was the matter."

"That's what we're here for," said Cedric, putting out a hand for Blaise to shake. He shook it, and then left the room, embarrassed.

"Wow, that was interesting," said Neville, once the group was alone.

"I knew we could do it," smiled Hermione. "Let's go to the library and get started on the badges, okay?"

At that moment, Snape came out of his office. He looked at the students long and hard, and said in a slow voice, "You may meet next week." With that, he was gone.

"I think we shocked him," said Neville, gazing after Snape's swirling black robes.

"I think so, too," said Harry. "Okay, let's go to the library."

So they set off, thinking about S.A.N.E., Nott's predicament, and everything else they could do for the Slytherins. House unity at Hogwarts was on its way to beginning.


	27. Revelations

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Hey all! Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad most of you love S.A.N.E!

As to my one reviewer, as for the speech the students gave the Slytherins, I didn't mean for that to come off condescending. I have the rest of the story planned, and I plan for their efforts in helping the Slytherins to really work.

As for Harry and Ron, I know that Harry is making other friends outside of Gryffindor, but if you were in Harry's position, are you sure you'd find it that easy to give up your very first friend? Harry had no friends at the Dursleys, and Ron was his very first introduction to friendship. No matter how much of a prat Ron is, and I totally agree that he can act like a major one sometimes, I don't think Harry would give him up that quickly.

Hope you enjoy this chappie!

Chapter 27: Revelations

A few days later, Harry was sitting in his therapy session with Sirius and Remus. The last few days had been pretty interesting. Poor Theodore Nott had had a very rough time of it; some Slytherins, especially Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson, had picked on him nonstop. Crabbe and Goyle had also come very close to beating him up. He'd had such a difficult time that Dumbledore had even arranged for him to change dormitories; now he slept with the Slytherin first-year boys. Luckily, he'd settled in rather well there, and they were being very understanding towards him. Harry, Cedric, Cho, Hermione, Neville, and Ginny had seen him several times and attempted to talk to him. Nott always pushed them away, but they kept trying. "You did the right thing, Theodore," they always said, and they hoped that Nott would soon come to believe it. Dumbledore had also been in touch with his aunt, and she'd agreed to take him in upon summer vacation.

So now, Harry was sitting in his session, telling his two guardians everything. Remus and Sirius were extremely proud of him. "I can't believe what a wonderful godson you are," beamed Sirius. "I would have never thought to do such a thing. You see, when I lived with my family, I did everything I could to try to get away from Slytherins. I bought into the stereotype that they were sneaky, slimy, manipulative, robe-kissing cowards. But the fact that you're trying to prevent them from joining Voldemort is a wonderful thing, Harry. I'm learning a lot from you."

Harry blushed. "Thanks," he said.

"It's true," Remus said. "You see, James, Sirius, and Peter were always picking on the Slytherins when we were in school. Unfortunately, many of them did grow up to be Death Eaters."

"I always wondered whether part of that was due to our always picking on them," Sirius sighed. "You remember Shacklebolt and I telling you about Dennis Booth, right? That was the Death Eater your father accidentally struck down. If we'd been like you, perhaps Booth wouldn't have become what he was. James believed this more firmly than I did, but I now see where he was coming from."

"Perhaps Nott is a lot like Booth," Remus said thoughtfully. "His peers and parents want him to join the Death Eaters, but in his heart he doesn't want to."

"I just think, the less supporters Voldemort has, the better," Harry said.

"That's good thinking, pup," Sirius said. His and Remus's faces suddenly grew somber. "Listen, we have to tell you something, Harry, and you're not going to like it," he said. He took Harry's hand and held it in his, Remus doing the same on the other side of him.

Harry's stomach filled with dread. He had a horrible, sinking feeling he knew what this was about. With everything going on at school, he'd tried to prevent his mind from wandering to this train of thought, but he couldn't help thinking about it now. "What?" he whispered.

"Kingsley Shacklebolt was in contact with us yesterday," Remus told him softly. "Your uncle's trial date has been set. It all happened very quickly. I'm afraid it's going to be on December 16."

"S-so soon?" Harry stuttered, numbness filling every pore of his body. He felt like he'd just been dipped in freezing water.

"Yes, kiddo, it's in a few weeks," Sirius admitted. "Next week during our session, Kingsley's going to come here. He'll again go over exactly what's going to happen."

"Do I have to talk at the trial?" Harry said, looking pleadingly at his guardians.

"I'm sorry, cub, but it'll be best if you do," Remus said gently. "You're the only person, besides us, who can give a true testimony. Both of us are also going to explain what happened. There's also something else that you're not at all going to like," he said, trying to prepare his adopted son for more bad news. "Shacklebolt told us we have to present the memory of what we saw you going through as testimony."

Harry jumped up from the couch. "No!" he screamed. "You can't! Everyone will see what my uncle did to me, and it'll be all over the papers before you know it! Rita Skeeter will sure get a juicy story out of it!"

Sirius and Remus jumped up as well. "Listen, Harry, we have something to tell you about Skeeter," Sirius said, laying a hand on Harry's shaking shoulder. "She's not going to be writing anything any time soon."

"Some people at the Ministry, especially Shacklebolt, were always wondering where she got her information from," Remus said. "He had a theory. He told the Head of the Aurors, Rufus Scrimgeour, about it."

"So Scrimgeour let him go to the offices of the editors of the Daily Prophet," said Sirius. "He borrowed Scrimgeour's invisibility cloak and followed Skeeter around. At one point, he saw her concentrating very hard, and then she was shrinking. And then suddenly, she was a beetle."

"An unregistered Animagus," said Remus. "She's an unregistered Animagus. The Ministry's got her in a holding cell now. I'm surprised you didn't hear about it."

"Well, it did just happen yesterday," said Sirius. "It was in the Prophet today."

"Oh," said Harry slowly. "I overslept and was late for breakfast this morning, and I haven't seen Hermione yet. That's probably why I didn't know. But I still don't want people to see the memory!"

"We know," Sirius said, putting his arms around him while Remus began to stroke his hair. "But it's the best evidence. Your uncle will be in prison for many, many years if we supply the memory."

"We know you might feel betrayed by us because we're doing this," said Remus. "But your uncle might be acquitted and found not guilty if we don't show the memory. We're not trying to hurt you, we're trying to help. And the jury is bound by magical oath not to say anything. Vernon Dursley is being tried in wizarding court. Since Shacklebolt is experienced in Muggle law, and since wizarding law is very similar to it, he knows what he's doing."

"If the jury tries to say anything," said Sirius, "there will be unforseen consequences. You see, Shacklebolt will put an unknown hex on each of them. No one but he will know what the hex does. It won't do anything too horrible, but the jury will know better than to tell anyone if they don't want to find out what it does."

Harry collapsed back on to the couch, tears beginning to stream down his face. He understood what his guardians were saying, but he didn't want Shacklebolt or any other person to see the horrible memories. Then he remembered something else. "W-won't you get in trouble?" he said between sobs. "Y-you used magic on Uncle Vernon, S-Sirius."

"Dumbledore already sorted that out, pup," Sirius soothed. "I was fined for it, but nothing too drastic. Since it was a crime the Muggle was committing when I did magic on him, the consequences weren't too dire. But I was still given a warning never to do magic on a Muggle again, no matter how angry I get."

Harry was slightly relieved. "Oh," he said, burrowing into his guardians' arms as they did their best to comfort him.

They spent the rest of the session talking about the trial, and Harry was exhausted by the time it was over. His heart was feeling very heavy, and he felt numb inside. He couldn't stand the thought of any other people knowing about what happened to him, but he couldn't be angry with his guardians, no matter how much he wanted to be. It would be better in the long run if his uncle was put away. But the dread and fear he felt was unimaginable.

He didn't know how he'd get through the next few weeks. He hardly showed his face the rest of the day, spending the afternoon and some of the evening in the Room of Requirement.

xxx

It was about eleven o'clock in the evening, and Cedric Diggory had just finished his prefect patrol. He was walking along with his best friend Cho Chang, and they were making their way to the Astronomy Tower. Many nights after prefect patrol, the two loved to go there just to talk and gaze out at the stars. Cedric had always loved the spectacular sight, and Cho had also always taken comfort in it.

Cedric hoped, in the coming months, he could do more than just talk to Cho on the tower. The fact was, he was falling in love with the beautiful Ravenclaw. She was such a gentle person, inside and out, and she never ceased to make him smile. The smiles she always gave him made his heart feel light, and he dearly hoped she felt the same way. Over the months, their friendship had blossomed into something much, much deeper. He didn't know how to tell her how he felt; the thought made him extremely nervous. This was the first time he'd truly known what falling in love felt like. He hoped that a chance would come where he could tell her his feelings.

When they got to the tower, they realized they weren't alone. Harry Potter was sitting there, and as they ascended, they noticed that his eyes were closed. He had obviously fallen asleep up here. As Cedric and Cho took a closer look at him, they realized that there were tear tracks on Harry's cheeks. They immediately felt worry; what had Harry been upset about?

"What should we do?" Cho asked. "Should we tell someone he's here?"

"He seems to be sleeping too peacefully for us to bother him," said Cedric. "He looks like he's been really upset. Usually we have to tell if we see someone out-of-bounds, but I can see that something's really wrong here."

"Okay. We'll just make sure he's all right then," said Cho. "We'll wake him up when we leave." She and Cedric sat next to the sleeping Harry, looking out at the stars.

"I see Sirius, the Dog Star," Cedric said. "I wonder if Harry knows there's such a star. I bet Sirius Black was named after it. I really worry about Harry, you know."

"I know you do," whispered Cho, being careful not to wake the sleeping boy. "You've been so kind to him through this whole tournament fiasco."

"Well, he's like my little brother. I wish Dad would stop going on and on at me to do better than him. He's been through so much. He was forced into this tournament, and it isn't fair. I always wondered what happened to him last summer, too. When I saw him at his birthday party, he looked ... I don't really know how to describe it. Haunted, I guess. I know Sirius and Remus didn't hurt him, but ..." He went quiet, a thoughtful expression coming over his face.

"I always wondered what his life was like with his Muggle relatives," Cho said. "I saw them at King's Cross station with him once. They were a rotten-looking bunch of people."

"They'd better not have hurt him," growled Cedric, protectiveness sweeping over him again. "If they did, I'll show them what happens to anyone who hurts my brother. No-one hurts Harry and gets away with it. And I still wonder who the hell put his name into that Goblet."

"I don't know," Cho said. "Whoever did really underestimated him, though."

At that moment, Harry began to writhe frantically on the ground. He curled into a ball, trying to protect himself. He began to whimper, and Cedric and Cho glanced at each other, fear coloring their faces. "What's happening to him?" Cho whispered.

"He must be having a nightmare," Cedric answered. "We have to try to wake him up."

"No!" Harry suddenly cried. "No, Uncle Vernon, stop! Don't kill Hedwig! Please, no!"

Their faces filled with horror. "Oh shit." Cedric said. Cho nodded in agreement. Oh shit, indeed.

"Please, no, Uncle Vernon! Sirius! Remus! Help!"

Cedric and Cho frantically shook Harry's shoulders. "Harry, wake up!" Cedric called. "It's all right, it was only a dream!"

But Harry still writhed around on the ground, unable to shake his dream. Tears were streaming down his face and his expression was one of terror. "Oh Merlin, Harry, what did that bastard do to you?" Cedric cried. "He's hurt you, hasn't he? And who's Hedwig? Harry, wake up!"

Finally, Harry gasped and his eyes flew open. He gazed around him at the two people who were sitting on the tower, and he couldn't help it; tears continued to stream down his face, he was so relieved that he was not on Privet Drive, being hurt by his uncle again. He tried desperately to stop crying; this was Cedric and Cho he was doing this in front of, two of his friends. He didn't want them to know what was going on. He didn't want them to know about the horrors he'd been through.

Cedric took the younger teen into his arms and hugged him, whispering soothing words into his little brother's ear. Cho joined him, stroking his messy hair. "Harry, what's the matter?" Cedric whispered to him. "What's wrong?"

But Harry was crying too hard to speak; he clung on to his friends like an anchor, the comforting touches making the tears come even faster.

When his sobs finally began to slow, Cedric whispered, "Harry, what did your Uncle Vernon do to you? He hurt you, didn't he?"

Numbness, shock, and terror stole over Harry's face. How did they find out? This was the last thing he wanted to happen! "How did you ... how did you know?" he choked out.

"You were talking in your sleep," Cho said gently.

"Oh Merlin, no," Harry cried. "I didn't mean to fall asleep! I was just up here, thinking, and then ... I'm going to get into trouble!"

"No, you're not," Cedric said soothingly. "If a teacher sees you out here, we'll tell them we were with you. I'm a prefect, and so is Cho. Now listen, Harry, we know your uncle hurt you. We're not going to make you talk about it if you don't want to, but we're very concerned. What did he do to you?"

Harry's lip started trembling again. He felt extremely frightened, but what had his guardians told him? They'd always held on to the notion that it was better to talk about things, to get them out in the open rather than bottle them all up. But he didn't want to lose his two new friends! Would they be disgusted with him if he told them what he'd let his uncle do? Would they be revolted if he told them what he'd let his uncle do to his beloved owl?

"It's all right, Harry," Cho said quietly. "We're not going to leave you, no matter what you tell us."

"And brothers look out for one another," Cedric promised. "If your uncle hurt you, it wasn't your fault."

"But I let him do it!" Harry cried, not being able to hold it in anymore. "You don't understand, he was so strong!"

"How did he hurt you?" Cedric asked, gently wiping the tears from Harry's face.

"Y-you don't want to know," Harry said. He had the kind of look in his eyes that immediately got Cho and Cedric to guess how he'd been hurt. They immediately felt unbelievable anger sweep over them, anger at the monster that was Vernon. Harry saw the expressions on their faces and recoiled.

"No, no, Harry, you've got it wrong," Cedric said immediately. "We're not angry with you, we're angry at Vernon! We're so sorry, Harry, we should have controlled how we felt. I had no idea that had happened to you. But Cho and I will make sure that nothing like that ever happens again. Listen, my friend, who's ... who's Hedwig?"

"My owl," Harry said, defeated. "Did I mention her in my sleep too?"

"Yeah." Cho said softly. "What happened to her, Harry?"

"Uncle ... Uncle Vernon killed her," Harry muttered, intense pain filling his heart.

"Oh Merlin," Cedric said softly, fighting back his own tears. Next to him, he saw Cho doing the same. "Do Sirius and Remus know?" he asked gently.

"Y-yes," Harry sniffled. "And Professor Dumbledore. I'm having therapy sessions with Sirius and Remus every week. My uncle's t-trial is happening in a couple of weeks, and I have to talk at it, and Remus and Sirius have to show the memory! You s-see, they got to the house just as it was h-happening, so they s-saw the whole thing!"

"Oh God," Cho said, horrified. "Who else knows? Do any of your other friends know?"

"Ginny knows," said Harry, but he wouldn't dare tell about Ginny's situation; he would never betray her like that. "But that's it."

"Are you going to tell them?" Cedric asked gently.

Harry's face filled with dread again. "I suppose I'll have to," he said, resigning himself to that fate.

"They'll understand, Harry," Cho told him at once. "People who have had that done to them shouldn't feel ashamed."

Harry once again felt tears spring into his eyes, but he did his best to hide them. But Cedric and Cho saw, and immediately put their arms around him again. "Just cry, Harry," Cho soothed softly. "Sometimes it feels good just to let it all out. Go ahead, we'll be right here for you. Go ahead and just cry."

Those words caused the endless dam to break again within Harry, and he was sobbing on Cho and Cedric's shoulders. The couple was completely stricken at what had happened to their friend. No one deserved this, no one! Cedric always knew there was much more to Harry Potter, and by Merlin, was he right.

Harry finally stopped crying, and exhaustion overtook him once again. Cedric and Cho supported his weight as they left the Astronomy Tower and headed to Gryffindor. They told the almost sleeping boy that they would never tell anyone of what had transpired tonight. They also told him they'd walk back with him. "Do you want us to walk you inside?" Cedric asked softly.

"No, you don't have to," Harry mumbled.

"It's all right, we're going to make sure you get there safely," Cho told him. When they got to the Fat Lady, it was almost as if she knew not to ask any questions; Harry mumbled the password and he and Cedric walked in, leaving Cho at the entrance. "I'll just take Harry to his dormitory, I'll be right back," Cedric said.

"Good night, Harry," Cho said, giving Harry a gentle smile. Harry managed a weak one back at her. "G'night," he mumbled.

Harry quietly told Cedric where his dorm was, and when they got there, Cedric helped him get undressed. Harry looked terribly embarrassed, but Cedric just laughed softly and told him that was what brothers were for.

As Harry got into bed, Cedric helped pull the covers around him. "Good night, Harry. Sleep well, and don't worry about anything. I'm here for you," he whispered, giving Harry's hand a squeeze. As he looked at Harry's already sleeping face, he vowed to himself that now that he knew the truth about Harry Potter, he'd protect him more than ever.


	28. Truths

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thank you so much to one of my faithful reviewers who says I'm an amazing author. As I said last time this story was posted, I just write what's in my heart. Your words really inspire me to write more!

A few chapters back, another of my reviewers asked what the eventual pairing will be for Harry. I did say this in the summary, but I'll say it again now: it will be Harry/Ginny. But unlike in the canon, I'm going to start them dating earlier. It'll start in the fifth year, not the sixth.

Also, another of my reviewers said back in like chapter 14 or so that Harry shouldn't have to tel his friends what happened to him. I agree that he should be able to keep it to himself if he wants to, but his mind works in the way that he thinks that if he doesn't tell them, they'll find out another way. He wants to avoid a scene like that; he wants them to know from his own mouth.

Please enjoy this chapter! It's another very emotional one.

Chapter 28: Truths

When Harry woke up Sunday morning, images of what had happened the night before flooded into his brain. It was the first time he'd ever gone to the Astronomy Tower just to think, and encountering Cedric and Cho up there was something he'd never forget. He couldn't fathom the reason why they both cared so much, but all he knew was that he was so grateful that they had. Now they both knew about his problems, and he knew it was now time to tell his other friends. He absolutely dreaded doing it, but maybe they'd be as understanding as Cho and Cedric. He decided he'd talk to Ginny, and see what she thought. If she wasn't ready to tell about Tom Riddle yet, he definitely wouldn't push her, but if she was, maybe they could both tell their friends together.

The next few days passed slowly for Harry. He saw Cedric and Cho a few times, their faces full of compassion every time they saw him. Cedric was the big brother Harry had never had, and by extension, Cho was like his big sister. Ron had still not grown up about the whole Slytherin thing, but he was fine if no one mentioned it to him. Harry still didn't trust him fully yet, and was doubly nervous about telling him his secret. But he knew that if he told Hermione and Neville, he couldn't possibly leave Ron out.

The group's next meeting with the Slytherins went surprisingly well. Nott didn't speak much, but did show up, and everyone could see he was really trying. He had a distant look in his eyes, and Harry couldn't even imagine what it must have been like to be told to enjoy someone's death. The group all told a little about themselves, and the Slytherins did the same. It was like a "getting to know you" session.

On Wednesday, Harry talked to Sirius and Remus. He talked with Ginny, and a decision was reached. Harry, Ginny, Ron, Neville, Hermione, Fred, George, Cedric, Cho, Sirius, Remus, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would all go to the Room of Requirement Saturday, and Harry and Ginny would tell everyone about the difficulties they had faced. They would use Ginny's therapy time to get everything out in the open, and during Harry's time, Kingsley Shacklebolt would come and discuss the trial with him and his two guardians. Harry had the jitters the rest of the week just thinking about it. He and Ginny were spending a lot of time together, discussing this upcoming event. Harry was terrified that his friends wouldn't understand, and was especially nervous for Ron's reaction. Ginny told Harry that she was okay with Cedric and Cho knowing about her. Since Cedric was so friendly with the Gryffindors now, and Cho was such a part of Cedric's life, she decided that she was fine with them both knowing.

When Harry informed his friends that they would all be coming to the therapy session, they knew something important was afoot. Ginny felt better when she found out her parents would be coming as well; she'd have their added support to get her through this difficult time.

Saturday came much too fast for Harry. After breakfast, he left the Great Hall with his group of friends. He said that he'd show them where the Room of Requirement was, and everyone was impressed. They were all very serious, though; Fred and George didn't sport their usual mischievous grins, even though Harry had just shown them a brand new place to wreak havoc.

The door to the room opened, and Sirius, Remus, and the Weasley parents beckoned them all inside. Mrs. Weasley hugged her children, and embraced Harry warmly as well. "Sit down, dears," she said, pointing to the couches. Everyone did.

"Wow, this is one amazing room," Cho said. "Perhaps you and I could study in here sometimes, Cedric."

"Yeah, that would be cool," said Cedric. "I never even knew this room existed."

Sirius chuckled. "It seems as though not many people do, Cedric. We were lucky to find it during our school days."

Cups of tea were passed to everyone, and Remus said, "Now, then. Harry, Ginny, we all know this is a very difficult time for both of you. But we appreciate the fact that you are willing to tell your friends. This is a very big move on your part, and we don't know how to express how proud we are of you."

Mrs. Weasley had tears in her eyes. "Both of you are so brave," she said. "If it were me, I don't know how I'd be able to handle this."

Harry and Ginny looked at each other, deciding which one of them should go first. Finally, Harry nodded his head and looked at the group of people, steeling himself to say the words. Hermione put a comforting hand on his shoulder, while Ron just looked at him impatiently. "What's going on?" he griped. "What's the deal here? You both drag us all down here, what is it you have to tell us? And what has my sister been hiding from me all this time?"

"Be patient, Ron," said Mr. Weasley. "They'll tell you in their own time."

"I figured I should tell you all," said Harry, "because it's only fair. Cedric and Cho accidentally found out last week, and since you're all my friends, you should all know."

"Me, too," said Ginny nervously. "Remus told me in my sessions that I shouldn't bottle things up, that I should tell people."

"You know we'll always support you, my darling," said Mrs. Weasley, putting her arms around her daughter again.

"We'll listen," Neville promised.

"Yes, we will," said Fred, looking at his sister with a worried expression. George's face matched it perfectly.

"Well, last summer," Harry said slowly, sipping his tea and taking deep breaths, "I was hurt by my uncle."

"How?" interrupted Ron. "What do you mean?"

"Ron, let him finish!" whispered Hermione fiercely.

"I mean, he beat me up and stuff," said Harry unhappily. "He thought I had done some kind of magic to get him unemployed from his drilling company."

"What's a drilling company?" asked Mr. Weasley.

"Not now, Arthur!" snapped Mrs. Weasley. Her husband looked properly chastized.

"No, it's okay," said Harry. "A drilling company is one that makes drills; a drill is a tool that can make a hole in something else. Like when you go to the Muggle dentist, a drill can fix your teeth."

"Oh," said Mr. Weasley. "I understand."

"Well, as I was saying," said Harry, squeezing Sirius's hand to release some of the tension inside him, "Uncle Vernon really hurt me. He's got a trial coming up in about ten days' time."

"Trial?" said George, looking shocked. "In what way did he hurt you, Harry? How serious was it?"

Harry looked at his friends, begging them not to make him say the words. He especially looked at Hermione, hoping she'd get it. "Was it physically?" she asked. Harry nodded. "Verbally?" He nodded again. Looking at him with dawning comprehension, she said softly, "Hedwig?"

"Yeah," Harry muttered sadly. "He strangled her. There was nothing ... nothing I could do."

"No!" shouted Ron, pounding his fist on the couch. "You've got to be joking."

Harry buried his face in his hands, not wanting to see the shock on all their faces. Hermione burst into tears, and Ron started swearing. "damn that bastard! He should burn in hell!" he snarled. "Ronald Bilius Weasley!" exclaimed his mother, and his father said, "Ron!" very sternly, but Ron wouldn't stop. He jumped out of his seat and spoke directly to Harry. "How come you didn't tell us? We're your friends! How could you keep this from us?"

"Maybe because he's afraid you'd have the kind of reaction you're having now!" snapped Ginny, glaring at her brother.

Fred and George even looked dangerously angry; they hadn't been able to escape the gene of the legendary Weasley temper. "I hope that jackass goes behind bars," Fred snarled.

"He deserves the Dementor's Kiss!" yelled George.

"No, he doesn't," said Harry softly, lifting his head from his trembling hands. "No one deserves that."

"Bullshit!" screamed Ron. "How could you say he doesn't deserve it after what he did, Harry? He's a monster!"

Neville's face was white, and he was shaking. "Why are there such horrible people in the world?" he whispered.

"We don't know, Neville," Remus whispered. Cedric went over to Harry and laid a hand on his shoulder. Cho joined him, doing their best to make Harry feel better. He felt exposed and vulnerable, having an audience like this. Ron still looked furious and was still causing a commotion. "Ron, would you SHUT UP!" Ginny roared at him. "Don't you see he's going through enough without the bull you're pulling?"

Ron snapped his mouth shut immediately, not wanting to face Ginny's wrath; his little sister was dangerous when she got angry. Hermione was still crying, and Fred and George had their hands balled into fists. Sirius and Remus were trying to calm everybody down, and the Weasley parents were looking stricken; Mrs. Weasley was crying too.

"And what happened to you, Ginny?" Ron said, his voice soft now, but still dangerous with fury. "You said something about Tom Riddle hurting you down in the chamber at the end of your first year-"

"Wait a minute, the Chamber of Secrets?" asked Cho, looking shocked.

"Yeah," said Ginny tremulously. "You know that whole fiasco a few years ago? W-well, that was me. Tom Riddle possessed me, and made me open the chamber."

"What do you mean, he possessed you? Who's Tom Riddle? How did he do it?" asked Cedric, his face creased with confusion.

Ginny sighed and took a deep breath. "A diary was dropped in my cauldron at the beginning of my first year," she began explaining. "When I started writing in it, it wrote back." She continued to explain the story of Tom Riddle, how she'd been ensnared and enflamed by him, how he'd showed up in her dreams, her falling in love with him, the attacks, their fight, her throwing the diary in the toilet, her getting it back, and then what happened in the chamber itself.

Ron stood up again, looking angrier than he ever had in his life. "WHAT?" he screamed, his voice reverberating around the whole room. "YOU HAD A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU-KNOW-WHO?" He didn't even seem to care that his parents were in the room, so beside himself was he.

Ginny was crying now, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley wrapped her up in an embrace. "Ron, please calm down," Harry tried.

"Calm down? CALM DOWN? I'm not going to calm down!" Ron shouted. "You knew this about my little sister, and you said nothing? I-I can't handle this!" He immediately fled the room, slamming the door behind him. Ginny started crying even harder, and Sirius made to go after Ron.

"No, don't, Sirius, please," said the wailing Ginny. "There's n-no point! When he gets like this you have to leave him alone."

Cho also embraced the younger girl, Cedric telling her everything was going to be okay now. "I always wondered why Dumbledore hushed that whole chamber thing up," he whispered. He looked shocked at the revelations and truths that had come forth this day. He couldn't believe he had been let in on Ginny's secret; he hardly knew her. But he now definitely understood why both she and Harry looked much older than they should at this age.

Hermione was embracing Neville, who was shaking all over. "That monster You-Know-Who," he mumbled into her shirt.

"What were you thinking, Gin?" said Fred gently, joining the embrace, with George on his other side. "Why were you talking to someone you barely knew?"

"Why didn't you talk to us, sis?" said George. "You know we joke around a lot, but we never meant for you to construe it in a way that you thought you couldn't talk to us!"

"I thought T-Tom was the only one who could understand me," hiccuped Ginny.

"Well, we're going to do better by you now," said Fred, his hands once again balling into fists. "And we'll get that creature You-Know-Who, and we'll destroy him!"

"Damn straight," said George furiously. "There won't be anything left of him by the time we're done. If anyone hurts our sister, we hurt them. That's our rule."

Over the next few minutes, everyone tried to calm down. Ginny embraced Harry, who held her close. Both of them had a good cry, not being able to believe it was finally over. They had told their friends. Harry was very upset at Ron's reaction, and so was Ginny. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley tried to convince them that he was just angry right now, that he'd come around. Harry felt terrible for not telling Ron about his little sister, but at the same time, felt that he had done the right thing. If Ginny hadn't wanted Ron to know, it wasn't Harry's place to tell him. Sirius and Remus told him that in no way had he done anything wrong by keeping it a secret.

Finally, Neville cleared his throat. "I just want to say this for all of us," he said quietly, looking very seriously at the group. "This goes from us to both of you: we'll support you, whatever happens. None of this was your fault in any way."

"Exactly," said Cedric, giving Neville a kind smile. "We're not going to abandon you, or tell anyone else. If you want to inform others, then it's your choice."

"I wish I could be at the trial to support you, Harry," said Hermione, tearstains still on her face. "I'm so sorry this happened to you. And Ginny, I don't blame you for what happened in the chamber at all. It was Tom's fault, not yours."

"You don't blame me at all for having to spend months in the hospital wing, petrified?" Ginny said in a small voice.

"Of course not!" Hermione cried. "You can't hold yourself accountable for that."

Neville then said, "Listen, since we're all sharing secrets today, I might as well share mine too. The reason why I live with my gran is because my parents were tortured into insanity at the end of the First War by a few of You-Know-Who's followers. Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband, and her brother-in-law, and Barty Crouch, Jr. were responsible. Unfortunately, they're all out of Azkaban now."

"We'll get 'em, Neville," promised Fred.

"I'm sure your parents would be really proud of you," said Hermione. Neville flushed with embarrassment and gave her a tiny, grateful smile.

Throughout that session, it felt like everyone had become a lot closer. It was almost time for Shacklebolt to show up, so everyone began to leave. All Harry's friends embraced him before they departed, and Hermione promised him that she'd talk Ron around. The Weasley adults were also going to try to find him. Fred and George whispered conspiratorially that they had a few jokes to cheer Harry and Ginny up with after they came back to the common room. Arthur just smiled, and Molly didn't even chastise them; now was definitely not the time. Harry and Ginny deserved a laugh, anyway.

"You've been so brave," she said as she hugged Harry. "Everything's going to be fine now. We'll all make sure you never get hurt again."

"Thank you," said Harry, choked with emotion. Arthur patted his shoulder, and Cedric and Cho ruffled his hair. Neville put out his hand, and Harry shook it. "I won't tell anyone," he said as he got up from the couch.

"Thanks, Nev," said Harry.

Once everyone was gone, Harry was left with Sirius and Remus. He felt exhausted, but knew there was still more to come. "How are you holding up, kiddo?" Sirius asked softly.

"All right," said Harry. "But Ron-"

"Never mind what Ron says," said Remus. "Molly and Arthur were afraid he'd react like that. See, she told us Ron's very protective of the ones he loves, rather like you. But he shows it by how angry he gets. You have to look at it this way: the fact that he was so furious shows how much he cares."

"I know," Harry sighed. "But it just didn't help."

"I know," said Sirius. "But he's got a temper rather like mine. We're very alike."

At that moment, Kingsley knocked on the door. The rest of the session was spent going over the trial once more, with Kingsley telling them again exactly what would happen. Harry and his guardians decided that the day of the trial, the rumor mill around the school would say that Harry was sick. He hoped his friends could spread that around so that people wouldn't start wondering where he was when he didn't show up for class.

xxx

As Harry went to bed that night, he couldn't help feeling relieved that now everything was out in the open, and all his friends knew. Unfortunately, though, Ron had not talked to him for the rest of the day. Hermione couldn't find him anywhere, but Harry did find him on the Marauders' Map, sitting in an empty classroom. Harry had wanted to go to him, but Ginny told him to let Ron come to them. Since Ron was Ginny's brother, Harry decided it was best to listen to what she said.

He was grateful for how supportive the rest of his friends had been, however, and he knew he was extremely lucky to have them in his life. The trial would be a hard and terrible experience, he knew, and he couldn't even imagine what it would be like to see his uncle's twisted face again. But he knew deep in his heart that with his friends and supporters by his side, he'd be all right. He could hear the comforting snores of his dormmates around him, and the noises sent him into sleep.


	29. House Elves and Yule Balls

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Hey all! I'm so glad you enjoyed that last chapter!

For the reviewer who seconded the comment about me being an amazing author, thank you so much! I am really touched by all who are loving this story. I definitely plan to keep posting!

Hope you enjoy this next installment!

Chapter 29: House-Elves and Yule Balls

The next day, a very uncomfortable reconciliation took place between Harry and Ron. Harry was still recovering from the day he'd had the day before, and when Ron told him they needed to talk, Harry wondered what he'd have to say.

Ron apologized profusely for behaving the way he had, but Harry could still see the anger on his face from him not telling about Ginny's problems. Ginny came down into the common room and set him straight, though. She whispered fiercely, "Harry did the right thing. I didn't want you to know yet, so that's why he didn't tell!"

"But I'm your brother!" Ron said hotly.

"Exactly!" snapped Ginny. "You're my brother, and I knew you'd react the way you did! That's why I was very reluctant to tell you!"

After that, Ron was still not comfortable with the two of them, but he hovered by Ginny anyway, and it seemed as though he was not letting anyone come near her. It was true that he was the most overprotective out of all her brothers, and it definitely showed.

It was now after dinner, and Harry was slumped down on the couch. He had talked to both Sirius and Remus today, assuring them that he was all right. Hermione was anxiously trying to make conversation with him and Ron, and Ginny sat next to Harry, shooting Ron glares every now and then. Neville was up in the dorm, doing homework.

"Come on," said Hermione suddenly. "Cheer up, all of you. I think there's somewhere you'd like to go, and someone you'd like to see. Harry, he's been asking about you nonstop."

"Who?" asked Harry curiously.

"Ah, you'll see," said Hermione secretively. She jumped up from the couch. "Follow me," she said, starting to walk out of the room. Harry, Ron, and Ginny slowly got up and reluctantly followed.

"Where are we going, Hermione?" asked Ron. Hermione just scowled and gave him a "stop-asking-questions" look.

They walked down the corridors, and Harry remembered it being the way to the Hufflepuff common room. He thought maybe they were all going to see Cedric, but that wasn't the case. They kept going, until they got to a door with a picture of a bowl of fruit on it. "Hermione, why are we at the kitchens?" demanded Ron. "If this is about what I think it's about ..."

"Oh, be quiet, Ron," scowled Hermione. "I've heard quite enough from you for the last few days. Now behave yourself." She tickled the pear, and suddenly it turned into a doorknob. The door opened, and before Harry knew it, a tiny creature with eyes that looked like tennis balls was jumping all over him.

"Harry Potter!" Dobby the house-elf squeaked, jubilant with delight. "Harry Potter, sir, and his wonderful friends! Dobby is so delighted to see you again! Dobby has been waiting all year to see your face! Dobby has seen misters Fred and George Weasley here all the time, and Dobby always asks them how Harry Potter sir is faring!"

"Dobby?" said Harry, shocked. A flush of embarrassment crossed his face as he, in vain, tried to pry the little creature off of him. "What are you doing here?"

"Dobby works for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry now, Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby cried happily. "Headmaster Dumbledore hired him, sir! And Dobby's friend Winky is here too!"

"Winky? You mean the house-elf who belonged to Mr. Crouch? How is she doing, Dobby?" asked Hermione kindly.

Dobby's face changed to one of sadness and solemnity. He said in a soft voice, "Winky is not doing so well, Miss Hermione Granger. She is not coping with her old master Barty's death very well."

"Oh," said Hermione. "That's not good."

"Would Harry Potter sir and his friends like some food?" asked Dobby.

"Absolutely!" said Ron at once, and Hermione glared angrily at him. Ginny and Harry nodded slowly, and they walked farther into the kitchens. They could see tiny house-elves all over the place, putting away dishes and cooking like there was no tomorrow. They could see Winky sitting in a corner, tears running down her face. She was holding a bottle of butterbeer in her tiny hands and was guzzling it down.

"Winky has had enough now," said Dobby in a stern tone, making to take the butterbeer out of her hands.

"Dobby will not touch Winky's butterbeer, sir!" sobbed Winky furiously. "Winky must drink away her sorrows! Winky cannot survive without Master Barty!"

"Winky, he's not your master anymore," said Hermione coaxingly. "And he was horrible to you!"

Winky's face grew red with fury. "Winky did not do right by Master Barty, so Master Barty was correct when he fired her!" she screeched. "Winky failed Master Barty! Master Barty's son escaped his hold, and Winky had to be punished! But then, oh, Master Barty was killed, and Winky has to spend the rest of her life knowing that his death was her fault!"

Harry stared at the house-elf, bewildered. "No, it wasn't!" he protested.

"YES, IT WAS!" Winky howled. "House-elves is supposed to do what they're told, sir!"

"But that's not right!" Hermione exclaimed. All the other house-elves did the best they could to stay away from Winky, not giving her the slightest bit of consolation or comfort. They were busy preparing food for Harry and his three friends.

"It does not matter, miss!" Winky hollered.

"Yes, it does! It's not fair that all of you are enslaved! You should at least get sick days and holidays!" Hermione snapped.

"SICK DAYS AND HOLIDAYS!" Winky shouted, scandalized.

"Yes! You should be allowed to have fun!"

"House-elves is not here to be having fun, miss!" Winky shrieked. "House-elves is here to work!"

"Here, Harry Potter, sir," said Dobby, pointing at a table heaped with food. Harry, Ron, and Ginny sat down and began to eat, but Hermione stood her ground, continuing her staring contest with Winky.

"House-elves should be free," she said importantly. "Dobby is free, and you should be, too! Look at how happy he is!"

"Dobby is a very, very bad house-elf!" Winky snarled, glowering at Dobby. "A very, very bad house-elf indeed! He should be obeying his masters!"

"Dobby has no masters anymore," said Dobby. "Dobby works for Dumbledore, but Dumbledore is paying him. Dobby showed up and offered his services to the best Headmaster in the world, and Headmaster Albus Dumbledore offered to pay Dobby for his hard work! He is also giving him sick days and holidays!"

"That's wonderful, Dobby," beamed Hermione. "I hope the other house-elves become just like you."

"We are not meant to be like Dobby, miss," said an elf to the right of Dobby. "Tipsy is meant to do as Tipsy is told to, miss."

Hermione's hands were on her hips, looking at the house-elves with an expression that said, you'll learn soon enough. The elves all looked uncomfortable, and it seemed like they couldn't wait for the four humans to clear out of the kitchens.

"Can I have some more food, please?" asked Ron greedily, finishing his last mouthful.

"Anything for Harry Potter's friends, sir!" said Dobby. Winky wiped her eyes on a filthy tea towel, still guzzling her butterbeer. "Oh, Master Barty, what a terrible fate befell you!" she wailed. "And it's all Winky's fault!" No matter what Hermione said, Winky would not budge from her position.

Dobby and a few other elves plopped some more food in front of Ron, and he continued to eat to his heart's content. After his second helping, the four friends left the kitchens. But before they did, Dobby clung to Harry's neck.

"Can Dobby come and see Harry Potter any time he wants, sir?" he squealed.

"Yes, Dobby," said Harry, trying to get air into his lungs. "Yes, you can."

"Thank you, Harry Potter, sir! Thank you so much!" shrilled Dobby, tears in his eyes.

"Take care of Winky, please," said Hermione, looking again at the mourning house-elf.

"Dobby will do whatever he can, miss," he said, and the four departed.

"Why did you have to do that, Hermione?" asked Ron as soon as they were a good distance away. "You got almost all the elves angry with you! They probably won't want to see us from now on!"

"I'm just trying to make the world a better place!" snapped Hermione. "Slavery is wrong, Ronald!"

"They. Like. It," said Ron slowly, as though he were speaking to a two-year-old. Hermione said nothing, but she stomped furiously all the way back to the dorm.

xxx

The next day, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville were sitting in Transfiguration. The lesson was almost over, and Professor McGonagall cleared her throat. "Ladies and gentlemen, there is something I need to tell you," she said. Everyone sat up in their chairs, listening attentively. "On Christmas Day, a special event will take place here. It is Triwizard Tournament tradition to have a Yule Ball on Christmas Day, and each champion has to bring a partner and open the ball."

Harry's face immediately went pale. This was the worst thing he could have expected McGonagall to say. A Yule Ball! How embarrassing! For one thing, he didn't know how to dance, and for another, he had to bring a girl with him? Oh, no! And this also meant he couldn't go home and see his guardians for Christmas! What was he going to do?

The rest of McGonagall's speech about the ball was drowned out by Harry's thoughts. Before he knew it, Ron was tapping him on the shoulder. "Mate, are you all right?" he asked in concern. "It's time to go to our next class."

The rest of the day went by in a haze. Hermione, observant as always, immediately knew why Harry was hardly talking, and was acting so distant. "You're worried about the ball, aren't you?" she asked kindly as they sat at dinner.

"I don't want to talk about it," Harry mumbled miserably.

"Oh, don't worry so much!" Hermione told him. "It'll be fun!"

"But I don't know how to dance!" Harry complained. "And what am I supposed to say to a girl?"

"Oh Harry, you're making it way more complicated than it should be! It's not like you have to be in love with her or anything, you can just take someone as a friend!"

"Like who?"

"Who are you comfortable with, Harry? Come on, I'm sure you can think of someone!"

Well, there were three girls Harry was pretty comfortable with: Cho, Hermione and Ginny. He had a feeling Cho would be going with Cedric; Hermione had clued him in on the tender looks they were always giving each other. She was sure they were falling in love. As for Hermione herself, he supposed he could ask her, and then there was Ginny, too. When he looked at the redhead, he could tell she was uncomfortable about the ball, too. Perhaps if he asked her, both of them could seek solace together, and maybe neither of them would be as embarrassed. But how was he supposed to ask her? Did he just simply say "Hey, Ginny, wanna go to the ball with me?" Was it as easy as that?

Hermione seemed to know what Harry was thinking. "You can just go as friends, remember. There's no pressure," she whispered to him.

"But I don't want any crazy rumors going around about the two of us! And then there's Ron, and how overprotective he is!"

"Oh it's just a ball, Harry! Just a dance! It's not like it's your wedding!" Harry flushed, incredibly embarrassed. "Just ask her!" continued Hermione. "It's no big deal!"

"Who are YOU going with, then?" demanded Harry, glaring at his bushy-haired friend.

"I don't know yet," Hermione admitted. "We've only just found out about it, remember?"

"It was funny what McGonagall said today, wasn't it?" said Ron suddenly. "Try saying it five times fast! She doesn't want Gryffindor house acting like a blithering bunch of baboons!"

xxx

That night, Harry called Sirius and Remus on the mirror. "I can't come home for Christmas," he said sullenly. "I've got to stay for the stupid Yule Ball. More staring and rumors from the whole school. Great, just what I need."

"It's okay, kiddo," Sirius said at once. "You'll still be seeing us. The ball's on Christmas Day, and you can come home after that. We talked to Dumbledore, and Remus and I are chaperoning the ball."

"Yes, that's right," said Remus. "And then you can be at home for the rest of the vacation."

Harry's spirits lifted a little. "But I don't know how to dance!" he said, because he still had this heavy weight in his heart.

"Oh, it's not that difficult," Sirius chuckled. "You're making a mountain out of a molehill, pup. I understand you're concerned, though."

Harry didn't think they understood the magnitude of how he felt. "But what if I make the person I go with miserable?"

His guardians' faces softened. "You really are worried, aren't you?" asked Remus gently. "Listen, cub, it's just a ball. It's going to be fine. I'm positive there won't be a problem. Believe me, Padfoot here wasn't the best dancer when we had dances at school. He had the charisma and the charm, definitely, but it took him a while to learn how to dance."

"Hey!" said Sirius mock angrily.

"So it wasn't your fault you were always stepping on Adelina's toes?" asked Remus teasingly.

"Who's Adelina?" asked Harry.

Sirius's face flickered with sadness for a moment, as though remembering something from his distant past. "Oh, just a girl I knew once," he said, something in his voice which Harry had never heard before.

"Where is she now?" Harry asked, somehow already knowing the answer.

"She's dead, kiddo. Died in our sixth year."

"Oh, I'm really sorry," Harry said at once. "You-you loved her, didn't you?"

"I did," said Sirius, that distant look still in his eyes. "But anyway, I was always stepping on her toes, and she just laughed about it."

"Yeah," said Remus. "She cared about the company she was with, not how he danced."

"So you really think it won't be a big deal?" asked Harry.

"Definitely not as big as you're making it," assured Remus. "I know how you feel about all the attention you'll get, but at least you can take comfort in the fact that Rita Skeeter's not around to ruin things anymore."

"Yeah, that's true," said Harry.

"Is there anyone you were thinking of going with?" asked Sirius.

"Um ... I was thinking ... Ginny," Harry whispered. "But we would just go as friends," he added quickly.

Sirius chuckled. "Of course. I'm sure she'd love to go with you."

"But what about Ron? He'll kill me!"

"Why would he kill you if you explained to him that she's only your friend?" asked Remus gently.

"Yeah, he shouldn't pummel you one if there's no snogging involved," said Sirius, causing Remus to glare at him.

Harry's face went the color of a tomato. "I hope he won't," he muttered.

He and his guardians talked for a bit longer, and then he went back down to the common room, where everyone was hanging out. He hoped to maybe learn about Sirius's Adelina some other time, but he wouldn't push his godfather to talk about her if he didn't want to; it was obvious the subject caused him heartache and pain.

He, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ginny played a game of Exploding Snap, and then they did their homework. Unfortunately, the subject turned back to the Yule Ball a few minutes after Harry and Ron were finished.

"I saw you looking at my sister over dinner," Ron whispered fiercely to Harry. "You're not taking her to the ball, are you? You are, aren't you?" he asked accusingly as he saw Harry's face flush. "She's too young!"

"Ron, I'd only ask her to go as my friend," Harry protested. "There won't be any snogging-"

"There'd better not be!" whispered Ron furiously. "After what she went through two years ago, do you think I'd let her near anybody, even you?"

"Do you not trust me, Ron?" Harry asked, hurt.

Ron looked back and forth between Harry and his sister, who was still finishing her homework and not paying attention to the conversation. "Mate, you've got to understand, she's my baby sister," he said.

"I know, but do you think I'll let her get hurt? Especially after what happened to me last summer, do you honestly think I'd take advantage of her?"

"No," Ron said reluctantly. "All right, all right, you can ask her, but if there's any funny business, I'll-"

"Ron," said Hermione angrily from the seat beside him. "Leave Harry alone!" Ron snapped his mouth shut then.

Later that night, everyone had cleared from the common room except for Harry and Ginny. Harry was sitting despondently, gazing into the fire, and Ginny was reading a book in a chair a few seats away. "Gin?" Harry said quietly, knowing that it was now or never. His heart was pounding so loudly he was afraid even Sirius and Remus could hear it in Hogsmeade.

"Yes, Harry?" said Ginny, looking up from her book.

"Uh ... I was wondering ... about the Yule Ball?"

"Yeah, what about it? Only people fourth year and up can go, unless a third-year or below is asked by one of the older students. I'm only a third-year, so I can't go."

"Well," said Harry, his heart speeding up even more, "."

"What?" said Ginny, looking at him strangely. "Could you repeat that? I didn't quite catch what you said."

Harry cleared his throat, trying to get his heart to slow down. "I was wondering," he said, "if you wanted to go to the ball with me. Just as friends, you know." He blushed furiously.

Ginny looked at him shocked for a minute. Then a slow smile spread across her face. "Harry, I'd love to go with you just as your friend," she answered, her blush matching his.

"Really?" asked Harry, shocked.

"Yes, really," said Ginny. "It would be great!"

"But I don't know how to dance," said Harry. "You'll have a horrible time."

"Harry Potter!" Ginny said, glaring at him. "Why do you think so low of yourself? We'll have a great time! It doesn't matter about your dancing skills; I'm not a great dancer myself either. But we'll learn from each other, right? And if we step on each other's feet we'll just laugh it off. So don't worry about it."

Harry couldn't help but feel a lot better. He smiled at Ginny and said, "Okay, if you say so."

"I do say so," said Ginny mischievously.

So when Harry climbed into bed that night, his spirits were up a little. He was growing more and more nervous as the day of Uncle Vernon's trial approached, but once he was over that hurdle, he had a night with Ginny to look forward to, and then a week at home with his guardians. Why was he always seeming to make things harder than they were? As he went to sleep, he imagined that he could hear the laughter of Sirius Black back in Hogsmeade, reminiscing over his own Hogwarts days and the fun he'd had. Hope my dancing isn't as bad as his, he thought as he drifted off into dreamland.


	30. Remembering Adelina

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thank you so much to my reviewers! I enjoyed writing the last chapter as well!

To my one reviewer, I am in total agreement with you about Hermione. I love that she's trying to do her part, because I believe slavery is wrong as much as she does, but I do agree with you that she's going about it the wrong way. I remember being annoyed with her when I read this subplot in the original canon. Don't worry, though; later on in the story, Hermione will learn to do research before diving into something she doesn't know much about.

Please enjoy this next chappie! Appropriate music to listen to while reading this is the song entitled "Cry" by Mandy Moore. When I wrote this chapter the song was playing over and over in my head!

Chapter 30: Remembering Adelina

Meanwhile, as Harry slept peacefully in Gryffindor Tower, Sirius was tossing and turning at 804, Lawdershod Avenue, Hogsmeade, remembering someone who had been very special to him. He thought of her all the time, but it was especially hard to get her off his mind when the subject of dances came up.

This beautiful girl's name was Adelina Jones. She and Sirius had met sixth year, a few days after the infamous Werewolf Prank. He was being ignored by the Marauders other than Peter, who still talked to him, but he was desperate to have Remus and James's friendship back. He had done a terrible, terrible thing, and he wished he could take it back. Adelina had found him, staring up at the dark, gray, friendless sky on the deserted Quidditch pitch. She had sat down next to him and the two had begun to talk.

No, he had never told her about the Prank itself, because he would never betray Remus by talking about his condition again. But she knew he had done something to get his friends furious with him, and she could see how sincerely sorry he was for it. She assured him that they'd come around, and he had thought her presence was reassuring. Every day, she began to meet him at the same spot, and they began to share more and more with each other.

Sirius didn't really talk to anyone about his horrible home life besides the rest of the Marauders and his favorite cousin Andromeda, but he somehow felt an inexplicable urge to share it with Adelina. The more he got to know the beautiful Ravenclaw, the more he grew fond of her. He'd always been the type of guy to attract many a lady, and he seemed to always be snogging someone on top of the Astronomy Tower. But somehow, this was different from all the other relationships with girls he'd ever had. She began to share her experiences with him too, and it was amazing because she had pretty much the same kind of home life he did. She was a Muggle-born, and upon learning she was a witch, her parents had begun to treat her horribly, calling her a spawn of Satan and telling her that yes, she could go to Hogwarts, but she'd end up going to Hell when she left this world. The summer before sixth year, she'd run away from home and gone to live with one of her Ravenclaw friends, the same as Sirius had done with James the same summer. They felt a deep connection; for once he was letting someone other than the Marauders see past his cool, cocky, prankster exterior.

They'd met in November and grown close very fast, beginning to date in December, right after Remus and James had forgiven him for the Prank. They both really liked her, and understood that this was not the usual "fling" Sirius always involved himself in.

Then, at the very beginning of April, Adelina and Sirius had a fight. His status as the "ladies' man" had gotten around, and this had made Adelina wary of dating him at first. But over time, she'd grown to really trust him. But unfortunately, one of her Ravenclaw friends, not the one she lived with, but another one, didn't like Sirius. So she told Adelina that she had seen Sirius hanging around with another girl, holding hands with her and kissing her. Since Adelina found it so hard to trust, and she'd known this friend of hers a lot longer than she'd known Sirius, she believed her friend.

When she confronted Sirius, he was bewildered and told her he had no clue what she was talking about. But she just screamed at him that it was over, over, over and that she never wanted to speak to him again. This had hit Sirius pretty badly; he'd really been in love with this girl. She'd told him everything about herself, even her worst fear, which was to die alone. She was terrified of breathing her last breath with no one there to comfort her, no one there to hold her hand while she slipped from this life into whatever came afterwards. He had told her his worst fear also, which was abandonment. They'd shared such a deep connection that her suddenly breaking it off caused a hole to open in his heart.

He'd never forget the event which happened two days after his and Adelina's breakup. It was the usual Hogsmeade weekend trip, and he, James, Peter, and Remus had been in Zonko's when the worst happened. The village had been attacked.

Voldemort and his Death Eaters were becoming quite powerful then, but this was the first time they'd ever attacked Hogsmeade. Screams had ripped through the village, and the four Marauders had run outside to try and help.

FLASHBACK

"James!" Peter screamed, clinging to James's arm. "What do we do? We're under attack!"

"Just stay close, Pete!" James answered, not being able to hide the fear in his own voice. Sirius and Remus hurried after the two, also staying very close to them.

"We have to take charge now," James said in his "leader" voice. Even though he was afraid, he knew he had to be strong. He had to set an example for the other students. Ever since the Werewolf Prank, he'd really grown up. Life was not just about pulling pranks and making jokes; yes, it was definitely a part of it, but there were times when you needed to be serious as well, and you had to know right from wrong. James could see terrified and disoriented students running about, and he knew he had to try and restore some order. "Peter, you stay with me. Sirius, Remus, try to go help the younger students. If you come in contact with any Death Eaters, do everything you can to stop them. We aren't learning Defense Against the Dark Arts for nothing, boys. This is it. This is the real thing." Peter let out a squeak of pure terror. "It's okay, Wormtail, just stay by me and things will be all right," he tried to reassure. "Padfoot, Moony, good luck." He pulled the three Marauders into a group hug, for none of them knew whether all four of them would be together again. In a situation like this, you never did know.

They managed to smile and high-five each other. "Best friends forever," James said, and the three others echoed him. Then everything went into action. James ran off in one direction with Peter, Remus and Sirius going off at tangents.

Sirius ran through the crowd, hearing bangs of explosions and seeing different colored lights fly into the sky. Curses were being yelled, and the townspeople of Hogsmeade were trying their best to defend the village. Chaos reigned all around, and many students were in tears. There were also bodies on the ground, and Sirius knew with a numb sense of horror that some of them were dead. How many students is Hogwarts going to lose? he thought frantically. He tried to be authoritative, telling students to calm down and to try to walk back towards the school. Villagers from Hogsmeade were volunteering to help them, herding the students away from the horrifying scene of devastation.

As Sirius walked along, he stopped in his tracks, for he saw a sight that chilled him to the bone. Four Death Eaters were standing over a crumpled figure. She was hardly recognizable, for she was covered in blood. "No!" Sirius bellowed as he saw her. "Oh, Gods, Lina, no!"

He wondered how long she'd been tortured for; the attack had been going on for minutes now. Right now the Death Eaters were holding her under Cruciatus. She was screaming for all she was worth, tears streaming down her face. "EXPELLIARMUS!" Sirius screamed, and one of the Death Eaters' wands went flying out of their hand. It was the Death Eater who had been holding Cruciatus on Adelina, and immediately, the curse stopped. Sirius leant over her, his face barely inches from hers.

"Lina! Lina! Are you all right, love?" he cried. Yes, they had broken up now, but he couldn't help the term of endearment from slipping from his mouth.

"Siri ... Sirius!" Adelina croaked, her voice raspy and hoarse from all the screaming. "What are you doing here? Get back to the school!"

"No," said Sirius firmly. "I won't let them hurt you!"

"Awwww, isn't that sweet?" a woman's voice said mockingly. With a thrill of hatred so strong it almost paralysed him, Sirius knew who it was. Hiding under that mask was none other than Bellatrix Lestrange. "Is wittle baby Siwius in looooove?" she taunted as she let out a high-pitched cackle of raucous laughter.

"Fuck you, Bellatrix!" Sirius spat.

"So," sneered Bellatrix, "wittle baby Siwius decides to use bad language towards his cwuel cousin to twy to defend his love, because he's fwightened for her?"

"STUPEFY!" Sirius shouted, but Bellatrix dodged the spell and yelled an Expelliarmus of her own. Sirius's wand went flying out of his hand and into Bellatrix's.

"Ah, not so cwever now, are you?" giggled Bellatrix.

"You are a horrible, horrible woman," gasped Adelina.

"You are a howwible, howwible woman," Bellatrix mocked. "Do you hear that, Rodolphus? Wittle baby Siwius's love is calling me a howwible woman."

Rodolphus, the Death Eater standing to her right, laughed insanely. "And she's a mudblood, too," he cackled. "The Black heir is in love with a mudblood."

"I'm no Black!" Sirius spat venomously. "I left my disgusting family! If it's to be infected with the likes of you, I don't want to be a part of it!"

"Ah, so bwave, so bwave," smiled Bellatrix. Pointing her wand at Adelina again, she cried, "Crucio!"

"No!" Sirius screamed, jumping in front of Adelina's crumpled form and taking the curse for her. Even as pain like he'd never known before ripped through his entire body, he reminded himself again and again that he loved her, he was doing this for her, he'd rather be the one suffering than her. He could hear her screaming his name, yelling at Bellatrix to stop the torture.

Suddenly, the pain was gone, and as Sirius shakily got to his feet, he saw Albus Dumbledore standing there. Bellatrix was nowhere in sight. "W-where did she go?" he stammered, staring at the Headmaster.

"Disapparated, Sirius," Dumbledore said softly. "She's escaped. So have some of the others, but we were able to capture a few. As for Bellatrix, as soon as she saw me coming, she left."

"Dammit!" Sirius cried. "Oh God, what about Adelina? She's really hurt, we have to do something!"

"The injured are going to St. Mungo's, Sirius," said Dumbledore glumly, handing Sirius back his wand. "The fight is pretty much over."

At that moment, James, Remus, and Peter came running over. Peter was shaking, and Remus and James looked shocked. "Siri, are you all right?" James asked.

"He's fine, but he needs to go to St. Mungo's just to be sure," said Dumbledore. "He took a Cruciatus."

"Oh, Merlin!" squeaked Peter. James and Remus immediately put a hand on his shoulder when they saw Adelina, broken and bleeding, in Dumbledore's arms. "Are you all right, mate?" Remus asked.

"They were torturing her, and I-I had to stop it," Sirius said, shock still coursing through him. "I took Cruciatus for her."

The others looked even more surprised. "Mate, are you sure you're alright? You really do care about her, don't you?" said James.

"More than she'll ever know," said Sirius honestly.

"Let's go," said Dumbledore somberly. "I'll apparate Adelina to St. Mungo's, and then I'll come back for you, Sirius."

"We're going too," James said at once. "Marauders always stay together. We're not leaving his side."

"No, honestly, it's all right," said Sirius. "I'm fine. I won't be long."

"It doesn't matter," James insisted. "We're going with you whether you like it or not."

Dumbledore looked at their set jaws and knew there was nothing he could do to dissuade them. "All right," he agreed, and with a POP! he and Adelina were gone, but not before she tiredly made eye contact with Sirius once again, expressing what she couldn't, at that moment, say in words. It was then that Sirius knew she finally believed him over her Ravenclaw friend.

xxx

At St. Mungo's, James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter all sat in the waiting room on the Spell Damage ward. When it was Sirius's turn to go in to be checked, he was quickly given a potion to help with the after-effects of the Cruciatus and was then given a clean bill of health. "Has anyone heard anything about Adelina?" he asked as he returned to the waiting room.

"Nothing yet," said Dumbledore, who was sitting on one of the chairs. "But we promise to let you know if anything is heard."

A few moments later, a Healer came out of another room. "Is there anyone named Sirius Black out here?" she asked, a grim look on her face.

"I'm Sirius Black," said Sirius at once, standing up to his full height.

The Healer looked at him with a sad and sympathetic expression on her face. "A young lady's been asking for you," she said. "Adelina Jones. She wants to see you."

"Oh Merlin. Where is she? How is she?" Sirius asked desperately.

The Healer pointed to a door diagonal from where he was standing. "She's in there," she said. She didn't answer Sirius's question as to how she was, but instead kept the sad look on her face. Another wave of numbness clawed through Sirius as he stood there, gaping at the Healer.

James put a hand on his shoulder, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Mate, do you need us to go in there with you?" he asked gently.

Sirius shook his head; he appreciated his friends, but this was something he had to do on his own. "We'll be right there for you when you come out," Remus promised, and James and Peter nodded in agreement. Dumbledore gave him a sad smile, and Sirius went to the door the Healer had pointed to and opened it. "I'll be right here if you need me," the Healer said.

As Sirius walked into the room, he saw Adelina. She was as beautiful as always, but had many bandages covering bruises and cuts that were all over her body. Her face was pale and her breathing was ragged.

"Lina?" Sirius said softly, kneeling by her bedside and taking her hand.

"Sirius." Adelina's voice was very soft, barely audible. "God, I don't know what to say. I'm so sorry I didn't believe you. I just thought-I just thought, after everything I'd heard about you in the past, that you'd gone and been with another girl."

"Shhh," said Sirius, squeezing Adelina's hand. He remembered she loved the Muggle movie Love Story, and repeated one of her favorite lines from it. "Love means never having to say you're sorry," he whispered. "There was only you, Lina. I know I've been an idiot in the past, but this-this was different. I've never felt this way about any of those other girls. I ... I'm just so sorry I didn't get to you in time. I would have let them hurt me more instead, I would've done anything so they wouldn't have done what they did to you."

A tear made its way down Adelina's face. "Don't, don't say that," she rasped. "You didn't have to take that curse for me, you know."

"Yes, I did," Sirius told her quietly. "I love you, Lina."

"And I love you, Sirius," Adelina said. "Please ... hold me, would you?"

"Your wish is my command," Sirius said, managing a weak grin at her. He felt a few tears in his eyes, but angrily willed them away. Adelina couldn't see him crying. This was her moment, the moment where she needed him the most. He had to be strong for her.

He picked her up and sat on the bed, tenderly holding her in his arms. "Thank you," she whispered then. "Thank you for everything you've done for me. You changed my life."

"You changed mine too, Lina," whispered Sirius. "And hey, I got to corrupt you. Made you susceptible to my Marauder charm." He managed to laugh a little, and she did, too, through the tears in her eyes.

They sat in silence for a minute, with him just holding her and her breathing becoming more and more erratic. Finally, she said in a terrified voice, "Sirius, I'm so scared. I don't want to die! What ... what if my parents are right, and I go to Hell?"

"You won't," Sirius promised. "You're such a good person, Lina. You won't go to Hell. And I'll make sure horrible Moldy Voldie and his supporters are defeated," he said, using the name he and his friends had come up with for Voldemort.

Adelina smiled weakly. She looked very, very tired. "Thank you, Siri," she said, her eyes beginning to flicker shut.

"You're welcome, Lina," said Sirius, stroking her hair soothingly. Then he said something which he knew she longed to hear, so she knew her worst fear wouldn't come true. "And you're not alone," he whispered, rubbing her back and chanting the words over and over again. He continued to say them as Adelina's breathing slowed and stopped, and she went limp in Sirius's arms.

Sirius just sat there, gaping open-mouthed at her, unable to believe what had just happened. Adelina was gone; the life had just been extinguished from her. In a daze, he gently lowered Adelina to the bed and covered her in the sheet. He tenderly kissed her forehead and whispered, "Rest well, Lina." He couldn't shed any tears even though he'd been about to before because now he was so numb. Taking one last glance at her beautiful figure, he walked out of the room. The Healer stood outside, and he just shook his head at her, causing her to look at him sadly. "I'm sorry," she said.

Sirius said nothing, and walked over to his friends. "Padfoot?" James said gently, laying a hand on his shoulder. Remus and Peter stood up, simply looking at him.

"It's over," croaked Sirius. "Let's go."

END FLASHBACK

The other Marauders had done their best to try to cheer Sirius up after that. He felt awful about it, but he'd been so numb and broken by the whole experience that he'd been unable to cry; he couldn't do it even at her funeral. He thought himself such a terrible person for being able to cry after the Prank when he thought he'd lost his friendships with two of the Marauders, but being unable to cry when he really had lost a person, and one that he'd loved dearly. At the end of the year, it had been James's idea to do the Polyjuice Potion prank to try to lift his spirits and add a little cheer to the subdued atmosphere of Hogwarts. A few other students had been killed in the attack as well.

Upon ending his seventh year, Sirius had put his all into his Auror training. Looking back on it now, it was after Adelina's death that his temper had become even more volatile. Anything that was mentioned about the Death Eaters immediately made him angry, and his biggest aim was to try to destroy them all. He fought them with everything he had, with every fiber of his being.

All the tears he hadn't been able to cry then were shed through all the years he was locked up in Azkaban. He had to relive her death over and over again as the Dementors passed, and that broke him more than he was already. He always thought of the Marauders, how they'd tried to help him show his emotions but due to his will to be cool, collected and strong for others, he was simply unable to express it all. Through his years of imprisonment, he often wondered, what does Adelina think of me now? Is she looking down on me, cursing me for being so damn rash and landing myself in here?

He wondered now, as he drifted off to sleep, whether Adelina would be proud of the progress he had made since his exoneration. Would she be proud that he and Remus had taken Harry in and were doing their best to care for him? After her death, there was never anyone else he loved like he'd loved her. Theirs was a whirlwind romance, and he'd never trade it for anything in the world. He hoped to see her smile again someday, and her picture was in his mind as his eyes shut. I hope you are proud of me, Lina, was his last thought. And I still love you.


	31. Vernon Dursley's Trial

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Hey all! Thanks so much for the wonderful reviews! Believe me, I love Adelina too. I adored creating her and found it terribly tragic to kill her, but it was part of Sirius's story. I agree with the reviewer which said that if she'd survived, Sirius wouldn't have gone after Peter. After all, she would have probably gotten him to think straight.

Okay, here comes the chapter which I'm sure you've all been waiting for.

By the way, I know that in this chapter, Dolores Umbridge is not Fudge's undersecretary, but yes, you will be seeing her, for she will become undersecretary fifth year. I just decided not to give Harry any more heartache concerning the trial, because we all know what Umbridge is like.

Anyway, on with the chappie!

Chapter 31: Vernon Dursley's Trial

As December progressed, the weather became quite chilly. Hogwarts got its first snow, and it blanketed the ground in all its white glory. People were starting to talk about the Christmas holidays and what they would be doing. The Yule Ball was still a common topic of discussion, and the students of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang seemed to be settling into Hogwarts life more and more.

Harry and his friends were also preparing for this time. They also continued to have meetings with the Slytherins, which were overall going extremely well. Of course, Hermione, being Hermione, had made the badges by now, so many Slytherins walked around the halls wearing them, especially the younger ones. Draco Malfoy was as vicious as ever, and his comments grew more and more cruel. But he was all talk and no action, and Harry and his group of friends were becoming extremely sick of him.

Cedric and Cho continued to show their big brotherly-sisterly support to Harry whenever they could. Ron still acted somewhat weird around Harry and Ginny, and Hermione sometimes acted as though they were fragile because of the things that had happened to them. Harry and Ginny tried to act as normally as possible, assuring her that they were fine and they just wanted her to behave as she usually would. Neville seemed to get it, though; there was no change in how he acted around them.

On the morning of December 16, Harry woke up with dread coursing through his entire body. Today was the day of Vernon Dursley's trial. The thing that would scare him more than ever was looking into his uncle's awful, sneering face again. He'd also have to see Aunt Petunia and Dudley. There was no doubt in his mind that Aunt Marge would be there, too, in support of her brother.

The night before, Harry and Ginny had gone to the Room of Requirement just to spend some private time together. He needed her comfort more than ever, and Ginny could sense that. That was one of the things he loved about her; she was very perceptive. Ron, of course, gave her an extremely hard time about it, but the fiery redhead was able to fix that problem by performing the bat-bogey hex on him. Ron had been so furious that he stormed off once Ginny had removed it, tossing these words over his shoulder: "Fine, fine, have it your way, but if I've heard about any funny business between you two ..." But Ginny, being extremely quick with her spellwork, flung a Silencing Charm at him. Ron ran off, probably to ask Hermione to remove it. Harry expressed his surprise over Ginny's spunkiness, and she just said, "Oh, the things I can do now that I have a wand! Why is Ron so irritating?"

It seemed like the therapy sessions were really helping her. Some days, she was still very quiet and depressed, but she was getting some of that fiery spirit back. Fred and George snorted with laughter every time they saw her at it again, and she just winked at them. She was never rude or bitchy, though; she didn't just hex people for the heck of it. She was just trying to tell Ron that she could take care of herself, thank you very much.

Today, the plan would be that Harry would go to the Room of Requirement to eat breakfast with Sirius and Remus. The rumor mill around the Great Hall would be that he was ill and would be taking the day off. Harry had worried that someone might go to visit him in the hospital wing, but Madame Pomfrey had assured his two guardians that she would put a lump in one of the beds to make it look like Harry was sleeping in it. And anyway, the friends whom Harry spent any real time with knew what was really going on.

A few minutes after he'd arrived in the room, Sirius and Remus came in. Both their faces were concerned as they gazed at their adopted son. They ate breakfast mostly in silence, knowing that Harry really didn't feel like talking. All three of them just wanted to get this trial over and done with.

Finally, Harry asked, "Where is the trial taking place?"

"It's at the Ministry of Magic," said Remus quietly.

"The Ministry?" Harry asked, alarmed. "How is anyone going to keep it a secret if it's there?"

"Don't worry," Sirius soothed. "They're holding it in a place where they barely hold trials anymore. It's down in Courtroom Ten, where they held the Death Eater trials after the First War. Now they hold trials on a different floor. So people will just assume, if they see us going there, that we're going to that floor because we want to find something else. See, there are other things on the same floor as the courtroom."

"But what will people say when they see Harry Potter walking into the Ministry? I'm not just any old boy. I'm famous," he said bitterly.

"We know, cub," Remus said, ruffling Harry's hair. "Most people who work at the Ministry all come in at the same time, and we're going later than they'll come in. So the lobby will practically be empty. The only one who will see us is the guard, and he knows about the trial. But we have his word that he won't tell anyone about it. Also, as I told you before, the jury is bound by oath not to say anything."

"Okay," said Harry, but his heart was still heavy. To have jurors know something this personal about the famous Boy-Who-Lived's life was not something he wanted to consider, but knew it had to happen for his uncle to be put to justice.

xxx

The three portkeyed to the Ministry of Magic, right into the lobby. They would usually have to go in by the visitor's entrance, but since the guard knew they were all coming, he had given Sirius a portkey yesterday when he'd stopped in to verify.

Harry had never seen the Ministry of Magic before. He took great interest in the Fountain of Magical Brethren, which contained statues of a goblin, centaur, and house-elf. It also contained golden statues of a witch and a wizard. Harry thought of Hermione and S.P.E.W. He hoped things in the wizarding world could change, that prejudice and bigotry would be stopped. Professor Binns might drone on and on about the goblin rebellions and have everyone bored to tears, but Hermione had said that those who didn't pay attention to history were doomed to repeat it. Harry found a lot of truth in what she said.

Harry, Sirius, and Remus got badges which stated why they were here, and Eric, the guard, registered their wands. Then they went to the elevator. As they moved to their destination, the elevator told them what was on each floor they passed. Now Harry's stomach was roiling, and he would have usually shown interest in what was on these floors, but he hardly paid attention since he was so wracked with nerves.

Once they arrived, Sirius and Remus led Harry down many different hallways. The walk seemed to go very fast, for they had arrived before they knew it. They were standing in front of a door which said, COURTROOM TEN, on it in big black letters.

"Are you ready, Harry?" asked Sirius concernedly. He and Remus each put an arm around him.

"Yeah, I guess so," said Harry.

"We'll be right there with you," promised Remus. "We're not going anywhere."

They opened the door and walked into the courtroom. Several people were there already: Fudge, the Minister was there. He had also sworn by magical oath that he would keep this business quiet. Fortunately, no reporters from any newspapers were in the room. The jurors were sitting in chairs next to one another. Harry could also see Aunt Petunia and Dudley there, looking pale and drawn. Aunt Marge was there too, looking the same as always. As Harry and his guardians came in, she gave him the most hateful glare she had ever given him. Kingsley must have told her about the magical world and made her swear not to tell. She was just like Aunt Petunia in the way that she would probably never tell, but still have even more of a reason to call Harry a "freak" now that she knew he was a wizard.

Dumbledore was also there, sitting in a seat. There was also another familiar face which Harry was shocked to see. Mrs. Figg! Mrs. Figg? Harry thought in confusion. How on Earth had Shacklebolt come in contact with her? She couldn't be a witch, could she? Was she bound to secrecy to not reveal any information about the magical world?

However, there was no sign of Uncle Vernon. "The dementors must be bringing him," Remus whispered when Harry asked where the man was. He felt a shiver go up his spine. Vernon Dursley was a horrible person, but why did dementors have to bring him in?

He saw that there was a chair in the middle of the room which had chains attached to it. He realized that that was where Uncle Vernon would sit. Harry, Remus and Sirius all sat down in three more chairs. All they had to do now was wait.

A couple of minutes later, the door opened again, and a fierce coldness swept through the room. Harry shivered, and Remus and Sirius laid comforting hands on his shoulders. There were two dementors coming in, and they were guiding a terrified but furious-looking Uncle Vernon. They led him to the chair, and the fat man sat down, the chains binding themselves to him. In his seat, Harry started to tremble. Just seeing him brought all the bad memories to the surface. Remus and Sirius helped to transfigure the three chairs into a bench, and they all sat as close together as they could. "It's okay Harry, we won't let him hurt you," they promised as Harry leaned on them.

Fudge then stood in front of the court, and began. "We are here," he said, "to begin the trial of Vernon Richard Dursley. He is being accused by Harry James Potter of the crimes of animal cruelty and physical abuse." A pleasant-looking woman with brown, curly hair sitting to his right was writing everything he said down, just to keep a record. Fudge then asked the two lawyers representing the defense and the prosecution to come forward.

Kingsley Shacklebolt was the first to give his speech. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said formally, "I am here today to show you that a young boy has been treated horribly at the place he called home for many years. For the first eleven years of his life he was forced to live in a cupboard under the stairs."

Harry's mind wandered back to his therapy sessions. He had been very reluctant, but he'd let his guardians use that information as more evidence to throw Uncle Vernon in prison. He didn't want to make his aunt get in trouble too, but they had told him that if she hadn't abused him, she wouldn't be thrown in prison. However, the magical equivalent of Child Services would probably come to check that Dudley was being treated right.

"And," Kingsley continued, "he was then, reluctantly I might add, given the smallest bedroom in the house. He was given very little food and drink, and was very unhappy. Home should be a safe place that one longs to come back to, but this was not the case for Harry Potter. When Vernon Dursley learned in June that Mr. Potter was going to live with his newly exonerated godfather, Sirius Black, and Black's best friend, Remus Lupin, things changed for the worse. This is the reason we are all here today, to prove that this boy was handled by a man that should have had no right to take care of any child. You will hear the evidence against him, and you will hear people try to defend him. But I will show you that the only place he belongs is in prison." Harry knew that if Vernon was convicted, he would be held at the Ministry, for the Azkaban wards were still being worked on.

Mr. Epinski, Vernon's lawyer, then stood up. "Ladies and gentlemen," he started. Harry grew nervous about what he was going to say, but his guardians' reassuring presence got him to relax a little. "You heard from Mr. Shacklebolt. Now I am here to show you that Vernon Dursley is just an ordinary family man. What this boy has said was probably to get attention, for his parents unfortunately died when he was young, so he has had no mother or father to look up to. Vernon informed me that Mr. Potter had no friends in his childhood, for he has always been a troublemaker. This is just another way for him to become more famous in our world than he already is. His pleas for this not to get around to the rest of the wizarding population are just a ruse. I am here to show you that Vernon Dursley is innocent of all the charges placed upon him."

Sirius's face was furious. He looked like he was about to jump out of his chair and give Mr. Epinski a good punch. But somehow, he kept himself in check; after all, this was no time to be going out of his head.

"For my first witness," Shacklebolt said in his deep voice, "I call Arabella Figg to the stand."

Mrs. Figg got up and walked over to the witness stand, sitting in the chair. "Please state your name for the court," Shacklebolt said.

"Arabella Doreen Figg."

"And at what address do you live?"

"7, Privet Drive."

"And what is your relationship with the defendant?"

"Albus Dumbledore put me in charge of looking out for Harry's best interests. I'm a squib, so I know about the magical world. He felt it was important that someone be near Harry's home just to check that things were going alright."

Wow! Harry thought in shock, feeling a little betrayed. Mrs. Figg knew all along about the magical world and hadn't told him!

"Did you notice any problems over the years while Harry was living at number 4?"

"Well, there were some days when I noticed that Harry wasn't very happy. I knew he didn't have many friends, but just put it down to him being a shy boy. I thought that the loss of his parents had really affected him."

"Did you know he lived in a cupboard?"

"No, I had no idea."

"How often did you see him?"

"I used to be his babysitter whenever the Dursleys went out."

"Did you babysit their son, too?"

"OBJECTION!" called Mr. Epinski. "That question is not necessary!"

"But I'm leading to something," argued Shacklebolt.

"Overruled," said Fudge. "Answer the question, Mrs. Figg."

"Yes, but not as often as I did Mr. Potter."

"Did you ever ask the Dursleys why they took their son out more than Mr. Potter?"

"No. I just assumed that because of his personality, he didn't want to go."

"No further questions," said Shacklebolt, his face expressionless. Mr. Epinski then started asking his questions. He looked smugly at Shacklebolt as he did.

"So is it true that you saw no problems with Mr. Potter's treatment?"

Mrs. Figg looked uncomfortable. "I noticed his unhappiness, but other than that, nothing."

The man continued to ask questions about Harry's upbringing, with Mrs. Figg repeating over and over again that she had seen no signs of abuse. She did admit, however, that he looked a little underfed at times, but again she told the room that Petunia insisted on the fact that Harry wasn't a hungry person.

"What a pathetic woman," Sirius muttered under his breath. "Bet she wouldn't know abuse if it bit her on the ass." Remus gave him a warning look, and Harry silently pleaded for him to not show himself up.

Mr. Epinski then called Aunt Marge to the stand. He asked her a lot of questions, and the woman assured everyone that she had seen no foul play in how the Dursleys had treated him. She reiterated the fact many times that he was always a "nasty little brat", she'd been able to see that since he'd come to stay with the Dursleys. Harry's skin burned with anger as he remembered all the horrible things she'd said about his parents. According to her, James Potter had been an unemployed, lazy layabout, and Lily Potter had been a bitch who had something wrong with her pup.

When it was Shacklebolt's turn, he faced Marge and said, "You claim Mr. Potter's always liked to get attention. Has he ever done anything to bother you?"

"Well, the little scoundrel's always spoken back to me, under the impression that he'll always get what he wants. He needs to learn that life doesn't work that way. If Vernon had to drill it into him, I say good for him!" Sirius growled low in his throat at those words. Harry glared at Marge, wanting to say a million things to the red-faced woman.

With each question Kingsley asked, Marge grew more and more hysterical with her claims. But it was when she started talking about the Potters that things started to head in a bad direction.

"Always knew that boy was just like his freaky parents," she sneered. "Now that I found out what you all are, I should have known it all along! Wizards, my ass! What kind of freak show is this? It is unnatural, it is Satanic! No wonder Lily and James Potter landed themselves early graves! They deserved it, the freaks!"

Sirius jumped out of his chair. "HOW DARE YOU!" he snarled. "HOW ..."

"SIRIUS, SIT DOWN!" Harry and Remus cried. There was buzzing all around the courtroom, and even Shacklebolt looked angry at Marge's outburst. Sirius was almost purple with rage, and the jury, who weren't supposed to show how they felt, looked disgusted.

"ORDER IN THE COURT!" Fudge boomed. "Sit down, Mr. Black, or I will have to ask you to leave the courtroom!" Reluctantly, Sirius sat back down, still quivering with anger. Remus looked angry too, but was trying to keep himself calm for his companions' sake.

"Well," said Kingsley, "I have no further questions."

Now it was Remus's turn to be called to the stand. Sirius gently guided Harry out of the room at this point; it had been decided that neither of them would be present when Remus showed the memory of the abuse. It would make Sirius too angry, and Harry too upset. The memory would be shown twice, once from Remus's mind and once from Sirius's, to try to prove that the memory hadn't been tampered with. Sirius had already taken the memory out of his mind and put it into a glass vial. So godfather and godson walked out of the room.

"Are you okay, kiddo?" Sirius asked softly.

"Yeah, I guess so," Harry mumbled.

"Is that always what your pathetic Aunt Marge was like?" Sirius asked, barely keeping the fury out of his voice.

"Yeah," Harry admitted.

"Well done for blowing her up, then!" Sirius spat.

"I didn't mean to," said Harry, "it just happened. Her memory was modified so she doesn't remember that incident. She probably would have brought it up if she had."

"Yeah. I'm so sorry," Sirius said, holding Harry close. "I'm sorry this had to happen. You know you'll be asked to talk soon. Remember, we have a calming potion for you to take before you go up to the stand. Will you be all right?"

"Just don't leave," Harry begged, clinging on to his godfather.

"I won't go anywhere, pup. I promise. I'm also sorry I didn't handle myself earlier; I just can't take bad things being said about Lily and James. It just reopens old wounds."

"I know, Siri. But you mustn't take what Aunt Marge says to heart. She's always been like that."

"I know."

Eventually, the courtroom door opened, and Remus beckoned them back in. The expressions on some of the jurors' faces were shocked and disgusted. Others looked shaken.

Dudley was called to the stand next. He didn't say much to either of the men, but told everyone that he had seen nothing untoward in the Dursley household and been shocked by Vernon's arrest. He said that if his dad had done what these wizards said he had, then he should go to prison. Harry was surprised to hear that coming from Dudley, a boy who took the greatest pleasure in causing others pain. Maybe he drew a line somewhere, though. But it was still hard to buy. He looked as stupid as ever, his big, fat face bulging as he spoke. Harry wondered how much weight the boy could gain over six months. It was amazing!

Mr. Epinski announced that Aunt Petunia was next to speak. When she was asked about Harry living in the cupboard, this was her answer.

"Vernon made me do it!" she said in a pleading voice. "I admit, I didn't like the boy much, but Vernon told me he was dangerous and that he needed to be taught some discipline!"

"So your form of discipline is putting him in a cupboard?" It was currently Shacklebolt's turn to be asking questions, so it was his deep, booming voice Aunt Petunia's pitiful begging responded to.

"Vernon wouldn't see sense!" she cried.

After she was done came the hardest part. Shacklebolt said, "I now call Harry Potter to the stand."

Harry slowly got off the bench, his guardians looking at him with promises in their eyes that it would all be over soon. He tried to give them a shaky smile and walked up to the stand. Shacklebolt handed him a calming potion, and Harry gratefully drank it. Instantly, he felt better about getting through this. He was still horribly jittery about seeing his uncle purple with rage just at the sight of his nephew, but wasn't quite as nervous as before.

After he had stated his name for the record, he was asked to describe his home life. He went into detail about being placed in the cupboard, having no friends at school, and if anyone did try to befriend him, they were beaten up by Dudley and the members of his gang.

"What happened at the end of your third year at Hogwarts?" Kingsley asked.

"I came home, and I thought everything would be normal. But the morning after my return, I was told to go to the cupboard. I was kind of surprised because I hadn't been there for years."

"Then what happened?" Kingsley prompted.

"I was made to stay there all day, except when I was making meals for the family. Then, the following night, Uncle Vernon came home drunk. He had kept accusing me of doing some kind of "freaky" magic to get him unemployed, and that night, he started beating me up."

"In what way did he hurt you?"

"He hit me, punched me, kicked me. Told me I was a freak and a burden, useless and worthless. Said I should've died that night with my parents."

"Okay, thank you. What happened the night you were collected by your new guardians?"

Harry took a shaky breath. "As well as beating me up, he ... he killed my owl," he said, his eyes watering. "I tried to get him to stop, but there was nothing I could do. He strangled her." Harry wondered why Kingsley was asking these questions, since the memory of the events had already been shown. He guessed it was probably because there was some way that Pensieve memories could be tampered with.

By the time Harry had finished explaining everything, his eyes were overflowing with tears. No, no, no! he told himself. You've still got to be questioned by the cross-examiner!

Mr. Epinski stood up. He did everything he could to try to get around the abuse, trying to make Vernon blameless. He asked him how he felt about his parents' death, causing Kingsley to shout "Objection, that question is irrelevant!" and Fudge to sustain it, fortunately.

"Have you always disliked your uncle? How many times is this now that you have made up stories to get him in trouble?"

"I swear," Harry cried, his voice shaking, "I haven't!" A few tears rebelled against his wishes and fell down his face. He could blurrily see his guardians in their seats, Remus doing his best to calm Sirius, who had an expression on his face which told everyone how much he wanted to pound Mr. Epinski into the ground.

Harry was finally allowed to go back to his seat, and he was comforted by Remus and Sirius as he sobbed against them. This day was becoming too much for him. To be picked apart like that by Mr. Epinski had been horrible. Harry had a bitter thought that perhaps Epinski was in cahoots with Lord Voldemort.

"Vernon Dursley," Shacklebolt suddenly boomed, "it is now time for you to answer some questions. You will be required to take a truth potion, so we know if you are lying."

Harry exchanged glances with Sirius and Remus. He had been told this would probably happen. Usually, Veritaserum was banned from being used at court cases because wizards had antidotes for it. However, Muggles did not, so if a Muggle was being tried at wizard court, it would be used. Harry wished that it could be used on wizards, though, without the worry of there being an antidote. After all, if this was the case, Sirius would have been found innocent in 1981, and all this Dursley stuff never would have happened at all. In this way, Muggles had a much better chance of being punished for their crimes than wizards did.

"What?" Vernon blustered, his face going all different colors now. "I will do no such thing, you-you-you freak! I am not taking any of your idiotic potions!"

"I'm afraid you have no choice," Shacklebolt said. Vernon tried helplessly to get himself out of the chained chair, but he was bound too tightly. "I'm sorry I have to do this," Kingsley said, not sounding sympathetic at all. He marched up to Vernon. "Open your mouth," he ordered. Vernon did not comply.

"I said, open your mouth," he repeated. Vernon still did not do as he was told. "Very well," Shacklebolt said. "This is telling us you have something to hide." He used a spell which forcibly opened his mouth, just enough so that the big Auror could apply three drops of Veritaserum to Vernon's tongue. After a few seconds' wait, Shacklebolt spoke.

"Please state your name for the record."

"Vernon Richard Dursley," Vernon said, his eyes glassy and unfocused. Harry shook as he clung to Sirius and Remus. This was going to be another horrible part of the trial.

"What relation are you to the defendant?"

"I am the unnatural freak's uncle."

Shacklebolt ignored the spiteful comment. "Is it true that you forced your nephew to live in a cupboard under the stairs?"

"Yes, of course it is. I hated the boy, so did my wife. Granted, she never hurt him or anything, but we both hated him. I swore I'd stamp the unnaturalness out of him," he spat.

"Vernon, have you ever hit Harry?"

"Yes," Vernon said at once, even though Harry could see he was trying his hardest to fight the potion, but it was to no avail. "I did more than hit him. That freak deserved to learn his lesson. I punched the little bastard, hit him, kicked him, spat on him! He's worthless, he's a burden, he deserves to die! And then I murdered his owl right in front of him," he said, causing gasps to come from the crowd. "I knew he loved her. But I figured I might as well do what he's done in the past. He's a murderer too, did you know? Heard him screaming once in his room about killing some professor of his-Quigley or something."

Quirrell, Harry realized. He'd had a nightmare about Quirrell dying and it being his fault. He buried his face in Remus's robes. This was too much to handle. All of Vernon's taunts brought everything rushing back.

"That was an accident!" Sirius couldn't help but cry out. "Quirrell was evil! You don't know how things work in the wizarding world, you moron! Harry didn't mean to kill him!"

"ORDER IN THE COURT!" Fudge shouted. "We know about the happenings of Quirrell."

"Yes, and you continue to excuse his bad behavior!" roared Uncle Vernon. "How many more people will you let this freak murder before you realize he's no good, or are you all murderers yourselves? You all deserve to burn in hell, you Satan-loving, devil-worshipping sadists!"

"Excuse me," boomed Shacklebolt, not being able to hide the anger on his face. "Getting back to the topic of what you've done, is there anything else you'd like to tell us?"

"Yes," said Vernon, his face full of glee. "Do you know what I was going to do to him if those two freaks he calls guardians hadn't come to save his sorry arse? I would've killed him! I had it all planned out, I was going to strangle him just like I did to his precious owl! Then the right life would have been taken, not the life of some innocent professor who was probably just telling him off!"

"That's quite enough," said Shacklebolt angrily. Harry could see that even Mr. Epinski was looking disgusted. Not a Voldemort supporter, then, Harry thought fleetingly through the fog in his mind. Dumbledore had fury all over his face; Harry had never, ever seen the Headmaster looking like that before. Sirius had jumped out of his seat again, and Harry could feel Remus shaking.

"YOU SONUVABITCH!" Sirius roared, filling the courtroom with his voice. "WASTES OF HUMAN FLESH LIKE YOU DON'T DESERVE TO EXIST!" He made to go at Vernon, but Remus and Harry begged him to sit down. Harry's voice was full of sobs of desperation. Shacklebolt also walked over to Sirius and forcibly held him back. "Control yourself, Sirius," he said. "I understand you're angry, but you can't act like this in court." He kept his hands firmly on Sirius's shoulders.

"Well, we have a confession," said Fudge. "And one of a murder he was going to commit. You know what happens when criminals confess. It is my right, as Minister of Magic, to convict you, Vernon Dursley, to life in prison. Take him away," he boomed, and the door opened, revealing the dementors. Vernon was released from the chair and led away. He glared ferociously at Harry as he left. "You'll get what's coming to you, boy," he snarled.

Sirius let out a pure scream of anger, and the bench he, Remus, and Harry were sitting on broke. Harry and Remus went tumbling to the floor, still holding on to each other. Sirius's anger was so huge that his accidental magic had kicked in. The man immediately looked shocked that this had happened. His heart was still pounding and his head was aching like it had just been run over by his motorcycle. Everyone else had gone silent at the display of magic and were slowly and shakily making their way out of the courtroom. Aunt Petunia and Dudley tried to go over to Harry, but Harry cried "No!" and Remus said in a barely controlled voice, "Get away from my son." The two Dursleys immediately scurried away.

"Come on, cub," Remus then said, his voice becoming gentle again as he spoke to Harry. "It's over now. Let's go home."

xxx

Minutes later, they found themselves at 804, Lawdershod Avenue, Hogsmeade. Remus had told Harry that he could be at home the rest of the day to recover, he didn't have to go back to Hogwarts until that evening. He and the werewolf sat down, Remus holding Harry as he sobbed in his arms. He was crying with pure relief but also with pure anguish after what he'd heard Vernon say. It had truly been a blessing that his guardians had come when they did; he'd have been dead otherwise.

Sirius followed a few minutes later, with Shacklebolt. The big Auror spoke to Harry kindly, reassuring him that Vernon was gone, there was no harm that could be done to Harry anymore. Then he left the family alone to have their private time.

The rest of the day was spent in a haze, with Sirius and Remus doing the best they could to comfort him. Harry didn't know how long he lay sobbing in both of their arms as they tenderly embraced him, or how long he slept afterwards. All he knew was that once he woke up, the one feeling that was prominent within him was pure, unadulterated relief that the trial was finally over. He tried his best not to think about how he would have been murdered; after all, that hadn't happened. He knew he'd probably have nightmares about it, however, but told himself that he'd cross that bridge when he came to it, although it would be far from easy. He even tried to stop Sirius from brooding over it, because there was no use in thinking about the "what could have beens." Sirius promised to try, and to release his anger where Harry couldn't see it. He was still absolutely livid, and had wanted to murder Vernon, but was finally coaxed into believing that life in prison would be worse than death for him. After all, you never knew what happened after death; it could be a way out of getting your punishment.

All of them were in shock after the day they'd just had, but the family knew they'd grown closer that day. His guardians kept watch over him, speaking in calm, reassuring, gentle voices. Whatever happened in the days to come, Harry knew Sirius and Remus would always be with him. Whether they were or weren't physically wasn't even the point; the point was he knew they'd always be there in spirit, helping him through everything. The ordeal today had been very trying, but the worst was over. A monster had been revealed for what he was, and now that he was no longer a threat, Harry's life could truly become better.


	32. Christmas Day

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thanks so much for the reviews!

To my one reviewer: no, I won't forget that I wrote a jury if I write another trial. Honestly, I've never been to court before, so I'm not writing from experience. I realize I may not have written the trial quite like how court should be written, but I'm just trying to write from what I know of court cases.

As for the dementors, they were out of the room during the main part of the trial, so that's why Vernon didn't much react to them.

As for wizard-muggle relations, believe me, I'm tackling that in a later part of the story.

Please enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 32: Christmas Day

It was a slow process, but things gradually began to go back to normal for Harry. The evening when he arrived back at Hogwarts, he and his friends went into the Room of Requirement, and Harry explained reluctantly what had happened at the trial. He hated telling the part about the fact that he would have been murdered, and it resulted in the tears of Hermione, Cho, and Ginny and the furious faces of Cedric, Ron, and Neville. But he told them the same thing that he'd told Sirius: not to dwell on that fact. It hadn't happened, so there was no use being stuck on it.

When Harry explained about the Veritaserum, Hermione spoke up. "I always thought that law was a little messed up," she said. "I read about it. It always happens like that in the wizarding world. It's usually illegal to use that in court cases, but that is an exception. I always thought that they should use it on everyone, or no one at all."

"Yeah," said Ron. "They should make sure the antidote is nowhere in reach. I mean, if they used that stuff all the time, the Ministry would have caught all the Death Eaters from the First War."

"Yeah, that's true," Cho said. "I've never understood that either."

So Harry and his six friends had continued to converse in this manner until quite late into the night.

The following week before Christmas break swept by in a haze of studying and exams. Theodore Nott could still be quite a difficult customer in their Slytherin sessions, and had to literally restrain himself from referring to Hermione as a mudblood. It had been so ingrained in his mind to call Muggle-borns that, it was a hard habit to break. But the younger Slytherins were beginning to open up more, and it was pleasant just talking to them. They all shared what they would be doing over the Christmas break, and many other things.

Finally, Christmas was upon Hogwarts. Hagrid helped carry the usual Christmas trees into the school. Many students were staying this year because of the Yule Ball, so the dorms were much busier than usual. Sirius and Remus planned to come on Christmas Day to spend time with Harry, and then they'd chaperone the ball that evening.

On Christmas morning, Harry woke up to the sound of something bouncing on his bed. With eyes still clogged with sleep, he blinked and looked around. He put on his glasses and saw none other than Dobby the house-elf making a huge amount of noise on his bed.

"Dobby?" said Harry sleepily. "What are you doing here?"

"Harry Potter is awake, sir!" Dobby squeaked. "Dobby has come to wish Harry Potter a merry Christmas, sir! Dobby would like to give Harry Potter a present, sir, to thank him for his humble and honest kindness!" He held up a lumpy-looking package.

"Thanks, Dobby," Harry said, flushing. He took the present and opened it, revealing two mismatching socks. One had a picture of a Christmas tree on it, and one had a picture of a dragon. "Dobby knitted them all by himself!" the little elf said proudly.

"I love them, Dobby," Harry said, smiling at the little creature. "I bought you something, too." And indeed, he had. The last time he and his friends were in Hogsmeade, he'd bought him a pair of socks also. When Dobby saw them, he threw his tiny arms around Harry's neck, squeezing him tight.

"Thank you, thank you!" he exclaimed joyously. "Thank you, Harry Potter, sir!" His eyes were shining with tears.

"You're welcome, Dobby," said Harry.

"Unhh, what time is it?" grumbled Ron from the next bed. "Who the bloody hell's making all that racket?"

"It is Harry Potter's wheezy, sir!" Dobby squealed. "Mr. Wheezy is awake!"

"Oh, it's you," said Ron, slowly getting out of bed. "Merry Christmas. And to you too, Harry."

Dobby continued to shower praise upon Harry, but he finally disappeared with a POP! to go back to the kitchens. Harry then opened his presents from Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Cedric, and Cho. He received some wonderful things; he'd also got a parcel from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. From them it was the usual sweater and chocolate fudge. He also received some rock cakes from Hagrid, which Harry couldn't help grinning at. Hagrid meant well, he knew that. The presents he'd received from his friends were an assortment of books, clothes, food, and many other enjoyable things. He was thrilled with all of them.

The Christmas celebration continued as Harry, Neville, and Ron trooped down to the common room to be met by Ginny and Hermione. Everyone exchanged grateful hugs and smiles of thanks for their presents. They sat on the couches and talked, and a few minutes later, Sirius and Remus came roaring through the fireplace. Harry opened his presents from them too after they'd swept him up in a hug. It was a truly wonderful atmosphere, and Harry promised himself that he wasn't going to think about Vernon Dursley today. Unfortunately, over the past week, he'd had several nightmares that were to do with him, depicting in horrible detail the murder that the man had described at the trial.

When the group of Gryffindors arrived in the Great Hall, they sat down at their house tables. Sirius and Remus sat on each side of Harry, delighted smiles on their faces. "I remember this well," said Sirius, piling his plate full of food. "Christmas was one of the Marauders' favorite times of year."

"Yeah, it was," agreed Remus. "Hey, Pads, remember the time we got Peeves to sing rude words to Jingle Bells?"

"Yes, I do," said Professor McGonagall, catching Remus's comment as she walked past the Gryffindor table at that precise moment. "The thing is, I could never prove it was you four, but I always knew it was. I should put you in detention. That was a very, very foolish thing to do."

"Oh, it's too late for punishment now," cackled Sirius. "And do you think detention would have stopped us? How many detentions did you put us in, O Humble Lady McGonagall? It had no effect on us, did it?"

McGonagall sniffed disapprovingly. "Black, what am I going to do with you?" she said in an exasperated tone as she walked away. But everyone could see that there was a tiny smile curling the corners of her mouth.

"Wow," said Ron from beside Sirius. "You actually got her to smile!"

"Oh, she's not all people think she is," chortled Remus. "She thinks she's all strict and no-nonsense, but deep down she agrees with some good, old-fashioned pranking."

Fred and George were staring at Sirius and Remus with amazement and admiration. "Cheers," they both said, raising their glasses in a toast. The two Marauders returned it, grinning.

Christmas Day was spent enjoying each other's company tremendously. Many games were played, and after the wonderfully-cooked Christmas dinner later that afternoon, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Sirius, Remus, Ginny, Cho, Cedric, Fred, George, Seamus, and Dean had a marvelous snowball fight out on the Quidditch pitch. They all felt happy and carefree, although Harry was starting to get a little nervous about the ball. Looking at Ginny, he knew she felt it too.

Hermione had been right about Cho going to the ball with Cedric. Neville was going with Hannah Abbott, Ron was going with Parvati Patil (he hadn't been too pleased about it because he claimed her nose was off-center), and Harry was of course going with Ginny. After their snowball fight was over, and they stopped their laughter from being pushed on to the ground and covered in the stuff, Cho said, "I suppose I should get ready for the ball."

"Yeah, 'cause you're a girl," Cedric laughed. "Girls always take forever to get ready."

"I do not take forever to get ready for anything, Cedric Diggory!" said Cho mock indignantly, punching him playfully on the arm. "Us girls just want to look good, that's all!"

"Oh whatever you say, Milady," Cedric grinned.

Ginny looked at Harry, saying, "I suppose I'd better get ready too." She gave him a shy smile, and he returned it.

So everyone agreed to go back to their dorms. As Harry and Ron sat on their beds, contemplating what the Yule Ball would be like, Ron said, "I feel so sorry for her, you know. She's probably all alone in her room, crying her eyes out."

"Who?" asked Harry.

"'Mione, of course!" said Ron in a "that should be obvious" sort of voice. "She hasn't told us who she's going with because she's too embarrassed to say she's going alone!"

"Yeah, that's too bad if she is," said Harry.

"I would've taken her myself if she wasn't so bloody proud," Ron admitted, his face flushing as red as his hair.

"You should've just asked her if she wanted to go with you!" said Harry.

"No!" Ron exclaimed. "I can't just walk up to Hermione and ask her that, it's impossible! And I don't see how easy it was for you to ask Ginny, Mr. I-don't-know-what-I'm-doing-and-I-can't-ask-a-girl-to-anything. And you'd better not mess around with Ginny. That's my sister we're talking about. If I find out anything about her not having a good time tonight, I'll pummel you one."

Harry sighed. "Ron, how many times do I have to tell you? Nothing's going on between me and her, it's just friendship!"

"Whatever," mumbled Ron. He then hurriedly got the subject off of Ginny. "It seems like every time I mention this ruddy ball, Hermione makes this face at me."

"Ginny told me I should tell you this," Harry said, a mischievous grin beginning to light his face. "She reckons you like her. Like, really like her. She thinks that she likes you too, and that she might be angry with you for not asking her."

"What?" Ron spluttered. "She's barking mental! I don't like Hermione like that!" But his face contradicted his statement very firmly, for it flushed so red that Harry couldn't even fathom it.

"Are you sure?" Harry teased. "Are you positive you don't?"

"Shut up, Harry," Ron grumbled. "I don't want to talk about this. I'm getting in the shower." Glaring at his friend, he stalked out of the room.

Wow, thought Harry. We've sure got drama on our hands. He would be surprised if Ron and Hermione didn't get into a row concerning the ball before the end of the night.

xxx

It was time. Extremely nervously, Harry walked down to the common room, dressed in his best dress robes. Ron grumpily joined his date, Parvati, who didn't seem too happy about going with him either. As Harry waited for Ginny to come down, he wondered what kind of music was going to be played. What kind of dancing was he going to have to do? Was he going to make a complete and total fool of himself in front of his best friend Ginny?

About five minutes later, the most beautiful sight came down the stairs. Harry's face broke into a sincere smile when he saw Ginny. She was wearing the most amazing dress, and her hair had been all done up for the occasion. "Wow," said Harry as she joined him. "You look ... uh ... wonderful."

Ginny blushed. "Thanks, Harry. You don't look so bad yourself."

"Why, thanks," Harry grinned. "Ready to head down to the Great Hall? McGonagall told me the champions and their partners have to be there a few minutes before the rest of the students."

"I'm ready whenever you are," said Ginny. "And if you worry one more time about being a terrible dancer, Mr. Potter, I'll hex you into next week!"

"Fair enough, if you stop thinking you're a nuisance," Harry said, falling into the banter they so often shared these days. "Shall we, then?"

"Let's," she said, and they made their way down to the entrance hall. Harry smiled as he saw Cedric and Cho, their arms around each other. Fleur Delacour was accompanied by Roger Davies, a great Ravenclaw Quidditch player. Viktor Krum was in fancy dress robes, and a girl in a blue dress was on his arm. Harry felt a strange sensation of recognition as he looked at the girl. Something about her seemed extremely familiar. His eyes were fixed on her for a moment, and suddenly, dawning, unbelievable comprehension was upon him. "Hermione, is that you?" he said in shock.

"Of course it is, Harry," beamed Hermione, totally unfazed by his shock.

"Her-mi-o-ninny vos charming enough to let me escort her to the ball this evening," said Krum. Ginny was also looking at Hermione in surprise.

"Hello, 'Arry," said Fleur. "'Ow are you thees evening? And who is ze young lady wiz you?"

"This is my best friend Ginny," said Harry.

"Hello, Fleur," said Ginny. "Congratulations for being the Beauxbatons champion. And to you too, Viktor, for being Durmstrang's. I also saw you at the Quidditch World Cup; you were amazing!"

"Why, thank you very much," said Krum.

"Are you excited?" asked Cedric, looking so proud to have Cho Chang on his arm.

"Yes, I am," Cho beamed, looking just as happy. "This is going to be great! I heard a rumor that the Weird Sisters are coming!"

"Who are they?" asked Harry.

"Zey are zis group zat likes to entertain people," answered Fleur. "I have heard zat zey are very good."

A little while later, Harry saw Ron come down the stairs. "Hey, guess what, mate?" Harry whispered as he came to stand next to him. "Guess who's with Krum?"

"Who?" said Ron confusedly, looking at the girl. "She looks sort of familiar."

"That's because it's Hermione," Harry told him.

"WHAT?" said Ron so loudly that Hermione turned to look at him. "Since when have you been friends with Viktor Krum?" he demanded rudely. "Here we go," Ginny whispered conspiratorially.

"We've been talking for quite a while now," said Hermione, still smiling.

"Yes, ve vere in the library when I asked Her-mi-o-ninny to accompany me to the ball." said Krum.

"Oh," said Ron, looking very sullen. As everyone waited for the doors of the Great Hall to open, he kept glaring at Krum. That was proof enough for Harry and Ginny, who gave each other knowing looks. It was amazing how quickly Ron could change his tune about Krum; one minute he was going mad and asking for his autograph, and the next, he was looking like his greatest desire was for the Bulgarian to disappear off the face of the Earth.

Suddenly, the doors opened, and Albus Dumbledore beckoned the champions and their partners to go in. "See you later, mate," said Harry to Ron. Ron gave Viktor another furious glare, and gave Harry and Ginny a long look. He was not paying the slightest bit of attention to Parvati, who looked very annoyed.

The champions and their partners sat down at the head table. The Great Hall was set up differently now, it wasn't in the traditional style. The teachers also sat with the champions. Dinner was served in a spectacular fashion, and Harry was stunned at the interaction he saw between Viktor and Hermione. It was like they had been best friends for ages. His gaze swept around the table; he could see Cedric and Cho exchanging smiles and words with each other, also chiming in to other conversations about different subjects, one of them being Quidditch. Karkaroff was looking very sour, sitting next to Dumbledore, who was enjoying eating his pork chops. Madame Maxime was also eating, along with Bagman, Fudge, and Percy Weasley. Harry had tried to talk to Percy, but Percy was acting very stiff and reserved. He talked nonstop about the Ministry, which the others at the table found quite annoying. Fleur was conversing with Roger Davies, who kept giving her lovesick smiles. Sirius and Remus also sat near them, making conversation and laughing like they always did. They exclaimed over how good Harry looked, and Harry blushed and smiled. As he looked around the rest of the room, he could see Ron at a seat a few tables away, his gaze fixed on Hermione. He also seemed to be watching Viktor's every move.

Once dinner and dessert was over, Dumbledore stood up to speak. "Ladies and gentlemen!" he said cheerfully. "I welcome you all to the 1994 Yule Ball! We have a very special treat for you tonight: the Weird Sisters will be entertaining us with their splendid tunes."

Wild cheers went up from the audience. Harry and Ginny exchanged glances, reassuring each other that this dancing business would be fine.

"At this time, I would like the champions and their partners to come forward," the Headmaster continued. So all the students at Harry's table stood up and made their way on to the dance floor. All three schools applauded as they saw their representatives before them. "I wish you all a very merry Christmas, and let the party begin!"

At once, a beautiful, slow song began to play. Harry looked at Ginny, and she looked back at him. "Let's get this over with," they both said at exactly the same time.

"Ahh! Get out of my head!" Harry couldn't help but chuckle.

"No, you get out of mine," laughed Ginny. She and Harry began to follow the example of the other three couples on the floor. Harry put his hands on Ginny's waist and began to dance with her. As the song went on, some of the nervousness Harry felt began to dissipate. He could sense that his partner was having the same feelings, for she was starting to relax as well. "We're doing it," she said as they took careful aim not to step on each other's toes.

As the song ended, the couple was amazed that it had gone so well. What did we have to worry about? they thought as a fast song began to come on. Harry saw Cedric whirling Cho around, and she was having the time of her life. So Harry followed Cedric's example and whirled Ginny around as well, causing her to scream with delight.

They danced like this for a few more numbers, joy filling their hearts. This ball was turning out way better than either of them had hoped. Harry glanced at Ron who was sitting at one of the tables. "Let's go see that brother of yours," he said to Ginny. She agreed, so they got some drinks and snacks, and walked over to the miserable-looking boy. He didn't look like he was having a good time at all. Parvati was gazing at him, appearing to be more and more cross as each second ticked by. "What's up, mate?" Harry asked as Ron once again glanced at Hermione, who looked flushed and happy in Viktor's arms.

"Nothing," muttered Ron. "I just can't believe Hermione's with Krum, of all people!"

"Oh, Ron," Ginny sighed as she and Harry began to munch on their refreshments. "Let Hermione do her own thing!" Ron glared at her.

"This is my favorite song!" Parvati whined. "I want to dance! Come ON, Ron!"

"No," Ron snapped.

"Fine!" Parvati hissed, jumping up from her seat. She went to the dance floor and proceeded to start dancing by herself.

"Get a clue, would you?" said Ginny. "Stop behaving like this! You're being embarrassing!"

"Well, if you don't want to be around me, Ginny, then go the bloody hell away!" Ron snarled. Ginny stormed away, Harry following. They went to another table, where Cedric and Cho were sitting; they were taking a break also.

"Hey, is everything okay?" smiled Cedric.

"Yeah, it's just Ron," said Ginny, scowling. "He likes Hermione and he won't admit it, and he's all jealous because she went with Krum."

"Oh dear, jealousy?" Cho giggled. "I knew those two liked each other. But boys will be boys," she said, and Cedric scowled good-naturedly at her.

After they had eaten, drank, and chatted for a while, Cedric said to Cho, "Let's go to the rose garden. Would you like to go for a walk? It's a beautiful night."

"Sure, why not?" said Cho. Harry and Ginny decided to do the same, so the two couples headed out of the Great Hall and to the spectacular-looking rose garden. It was quite chilly outside, but it felt good to be away from the hot, sweaty, dancing people.

The two couples separated after they got there, because it seemed like Cedric and Cho wanted to have a private word. Ginny whispered to Harry that she could just tell by the way they were looking at each other. "This is their moment," she said, smiling at him. "I'm really happy for them."

"Yeah, me too," said Harry. "I said before that I know nothing about dating, but I reckon they're good for each other." He and the pretty redhead walked around the garden, admiring the sight.

"I never really take much time to admire the beauty of this castle," Ginny admitted. "It's especially pretty at night, you know."

"You're right," Harry replied. "And look at the fairy lights and how everything looks so right." Indeed, everything looked very picturesque.

"There's no other word for it but magical. Cheesy, I know, but it's true," Ginny smiled. Harry wholeheartedly agreed.

They did several walks around the garden, and then they stumbled upon a sight which they'd both had a feeling they were going to see. Cedric and Cho were locked in a tender embrace near one of the rosebushes, kissing. Ginny winked at him, and Harry smiled. He could very easily say that the couple, who now had realized that they had fallen in love, were two of his best friends. He thought back to a year earlier; he hadn't even known them back then. But they'd made such a difference in his life now.

"Let's leave the lovebirds to it," giggled Ginny. "I'm ready to dance again, how about you?"

"Yeah, sure."

The rest of the night was wonderful. There was something about being in Ginny's arms which made Harry feel lighthearted and happy. He remembered back when he'd thought of Ginny as just Ron's little sister who'd had an obsessive crush on him. But ever since the summer, she had become so much more. Even though they'd had horrible experiences, they'd been able to bond over them, and it had brought them much closer.

The last song seemed to be a very emotional moment for everybody. "Don't let this magic die," the singer sang, and Harry could once again see Cedric and Cho dancing close, smiling softly at each other. Neville and Hannah were also on the dance floor, and Hannah was taking the fact that poor Neville kept stepping on her toes quite well. Ron still sat at the table, looking gloomy. Hermione and Viktor were swaying to the music, and she looked the prettiest Harry had ever seen her. He also saw some of the teachers dancing; Dumbledore was sharing a dance with Minerva McGonagall, and Madame Maxime was dancing with Hagrid. Even Alastor Mad-Eye Moody was dancing with Professor Sprout.

After the last note died away, there was thunderous applause from the crowd. Everyone began to leave. "I had a wonderful time tonight," Ginny confessed as she looked into Harry's emerald eyes. "Thanks for inviting me."

"No problem," said Harry sincerely. "I had a great time, too. Thanks for being such a great partner."

They embraced, and Ginny said, "You're welcome. I know you're going home now, so I'll see you in a week. I hope you have a happy new year. I'll let Ron and Hermione know you said goodbye. Ron seems to be off in his own little world, and Hermione's wrapped up in Viktor."

"Okay. Thanks. You have a great new year too." Harry smiled as Sirius and Remus walked over.

"Ready to go, kiddo?" Sirius asked, ruffling Harry's hair.

"Yeah," Harry answered. "See you, Gin."

"See ya, Harry. Thanks again, for everything." With a cheerful wave, she left him.

In the entrance hall, she waved at Neville, who looked hot and sweaty from dancing. She also bumped into Cedric and Cho. As she passed them, she said, "I'm happy for you," to them, causing them to blush in embarrassment because they knew she had seen them kissing. But their expressions were ones of gratitude as they said, "Thank you," as they walked away, holding hands.

xxx

Ginny returned to the common room feeling very, very happy. This was something she'd always dreamed about: going somewhere with Harry Potter. However, she no longer had that little schoolgirl crush on him. He was now her best friend, someone she could truly talk to. She now saw how silly her superficial crush had been, and was glad to know she'd met Harry the person, not just Harry the celebrity.

However, she stopped in her tracks as the portrait hole door opened, because she walked into a scene of total chaos. Ron and Hermione were standing up facing each other, screaming at the top of their lungs.

"YOU WERE FRATERNIZING WITH THE ENEMY!" Ron shouted furiously.

"THE ENEMY!" Hermione screamed back. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? IF YOU DON'T WANT ME "FRATERNIZING WITH THE ENEMY", YOU KNOW WHAT THE SOLUTION IS THEN, DON'T YOU? NEXT TIME THERE's A RUDDY BALL, ASK ME TO GO WITH YOU, AND NOT AS A LAST RESORT!"

"But ... but ... but ..." spluttered Ron. "I mean ... but ..."

"RON, YOU SPOILED EVERYTHING!" Hermione roared, almost in tears. She turned around and stormed to the girls' dormitory. Ron sank onto the couch, looking dazed and confused.

"Mental," he muttered. "She's mental."

"So are you, you dunderhead," said Ginny, sitting down next to him. "It's you who needs to get a clue."

"Not on about that again, Ginny, are you? Please stop it, I've had enough for one night," Ron moaned, his head in his hands.

"Oh, fine, fine. I'll leave you alone about it then," Ginny said exasperatedly.

"Well, how did it go then?" Ron demanded suspiciously. "How did it go with Harry?"

"It was wonderful," Ginny beamed. "And before you ask, Ron, no, we didn't get up to anything."

"Good, because I'll bloody kill him if he hurts you," Ron scowled.

"I don't think he will," Ginny replied. It was true that she got rather irritated at Ron's overprotectiveness sometimes, but she knew in her heart of hearts that he meant well; it was just a sign of how much he cared for her. "I promise I'll be fine," she reassured him softly.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Ron asked. "You know, with ... everything?"

"I'm getting there, Ron," said Ginny honestly. She knew she still wasn't completely recovered from the Tom Riddle trauma yet, but she felt that the words she had just uttered couldn't be truer. With the friendship of Harry Potter, the caring nature of Ron and the rest of her family, and the supportiveness of her other friends, things would eventually be fine. As she'd said, she was getting there.

And as she went to sleep that night, her dances with Harry still on her mind, that was all she needed to know.


	33. In the Olden Days

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Hey all! I'm so glad you liked the last chapter and how I'm portraying Harry and Ginny's developing relationship!

Hope you enjoy this chappie too!

On a side note, I know that the scene of the Marauders' meeting is different than the one in canon. I wrote it this way because I didn't want to copy straight from DH!

Chapter 33: In the Olden Days...''

Harry, Sirius, and Remus thoroughly enjoyed their Christmas vacation. They went sledding, which was an experience Harry had never had before. Sirius told him that the Marauders had loved doing this. Harry drank in the stories, more and more enthralled about his parents.

It was now the day before Harry was to go back to Hogwarts, and he and his two guardians decided that it would be thrilling to go back into the Pensieve and see some more memories of the Marauders and the interaction between them and their peers. Harry was absolutely willing to take another dive in and see the sights of the 1970's and early 80's.

"Yeah, we started school in 1971," said Sirius as they walked into Harry's room. "The 70's were some whopping great years. You know, the whole disco era and everything."

"Oh, you loved the disco stuff, didn't you, Padfoot?" laughed Remus.

"Sure did. Ready, kiddo?" smirked Sirius as they approached the Pensieve.

"As ready as I'll ever be," said Harry happily. On the count of three, they plunged their hands in.

xxx

The first scene which greeted them was that of Sirius, sitting in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express.

"Funny we should start with this one," the present-day man chuckled as he ruffled Harry's hair playfully. "This is when we first met."

The young Sirius sat in his seat, tapping his foot on the floor. He was muttering to himself, "Good. I finally get away from the Noble and Most Ancient House of Bullshit. I finally get away from the screaming banshee who calls herself Mother."

Suddenly, the compartment door opened, and a brown-haired boy who looked exhausted came in. It was the younger version of Remus. He had dark circles under his eyes. "Uh, excuse me," he said shyly. "May I sit here, please?"

Sirius's gray eyes lit up. "Sure," he said. "And what's your name?"

"Remus Lupin," the boy said. "First year."

"Oh, a half-blood," said Sirius knowingly. "Not that it matters, of course. I've just heard about your family before, from my mother. My name's Sirius Black. I'm a first-year too. My family thinks purebloods are better than anyone else, but I don't know what they're talking about. I've met a Muggle before, and she was really nice. I'm sure mudbloods are the same."

Remus looked shocked and taken aback. "Don't say that word!" he cried hoarsely.

"What word? Mudblood?"

"Yeah!"

"Why not?"

"It's a really bad word."

"What do you mean? My family uses it all the time."

"Well, it's a word you shouldn't say. It's really insulting to Muggle-borns."

"Should've known," muttered Sirius. "I won't say it again. I didn't know it was bad."

Remus shook his head in amazement. "It's all right," he finally said. He put out his hand for Sirius to shake, and he shook it.

"So what house do you want to be in?" asked Sirius excitedly. "My whole family's been in nothing but Slytherin, but I don't want to be in that house. Gryffindor sounds like the best."

"Wow, you are really different from your family, aren't you?" said Remus, another flash of amazement showing in his eyes. "I want to be in Gryffindor too, but I don't think I'm brave enough. I'm amazed enough to be going to Hogwarts as it is." He blushed and suddenly looked ashamed, as if he'd said something wrong.

"Why wouldn't you be accepted?" asked Sirius, surprised. "Every English witch or wizard, as well as those who come from other parts of the UK, go to Hogwarts!"

A look crossed Remus's face which was a look that no boy that age should have. "Yeah, but none of us should take that for granted," he said wisely.

"Wow, you are something else, aren't you, Lupin?" said Sirius. "You sound a little like a Ravenclaw."

"No, I'm not smart enough to be a Ravenclaw," said Remus, blushing again.

Suddenly, the compartment door opened again, and two more boys stumbled in. One of them was chattering excitedly. He had messy black hair and was wearing glasses. The other one was a little pudgy, and had watery blue eyes. He looked absolutely terrified.

"Do you mind if we sit here?" asked the black-haired boy. "We're both first-years. I found him getting made fun of by some older boys," he added, pointing at the pudgy boy.

"Was one of them named Malfoy, by any chance?" asked Sirius, a scowl appearing on his face.

"Wow, how did you know?" asked the black-haired boy, awed.

"Malfoy makes fun of everyone. Don't mind him," Sirius said to the pudgy boy. "He's stupid anyway. Remus and I are both first-years too. My name's Sirius Black. Get that look off your face, I'm not like my family. I don't think purebloods are better than mud-er-sorry, Muggle-borns. Remus here just told me mudblood's a bad word. I didn't know that before."

"Wow," said the black-haired boy. "Sorry. It's just that I've heard of the Blacks. My parents, er, don't like yours very much."

"Oh," said Sirius. "But we don't have to be like them, do we?"

"I suppose not. The name's James Potter," said the younger version of Harry's father. "And I still haven't learned your name," he said to the pudgy boy. "What is it then, my friend?"

"P-P-P-Peter P-P-Pettigrew," stammered Peter. It was hard for the present-day Sirius and Remus not to feel anger and hatred, knowing what this boy was going to do in the future. But they just had to remember that they had had fun with him, once. He had been part of their group, one of their best friends. They could see in Harry's eyes that he was struggling with the same battle, trying to find a difference between this scared young boy and the vengeful man that had sent his parents to their death.

"Aw, what're you afraid of saying your own name for?" asked Sirius, grinning. "We're not like Malfoy."

"Yeah, it's not like we're gonna call you Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater or anything," smirked James. Peter looked from one to the other, intimidated, but a tiny smile broke out onto his face.

"I g-get that one all the t-time," he said. "From the kids at the Muggle school I went to."

"Oh, really?" chortled Sirius. "Well, it's fine if you both sit with us. Hey, how about we think of a prank to play on Malfoy?"

"Sounds good to me," said James.

"But we'll get in t-trouble!" Peter complained.

"Yeah, are you sure it's the right thing to do?" asked Remus, but a tinge of amusement was discernible in his voice.

"Aw, you know you want to," said James. "And who cares if we get in trouble? It'll be fun!"

Peter finally nodded, not being able to hide a small grin. "Fine, whatever you say," Remus sighed. Harry could tell by the look in his eyes that he was happy just to have people there talking to him, not shunning him.

The scene faded, and Harry grinned at his present-day guardians. "So that was the first time the Marauders ever met?"

"Yeah, and we were together the whole trip," Remus said fondly. "Sirius here found a spell to turn Malfoy's hair blue. He stopped by the compartment later to harass us, and believe me, he wasn't very happy with the outcome."

"You're darn right he wasn't," said Sirius with a barklike laugh.

The next scene evolved around them; Harry could hear the four boys whispering. They were standing in a hallway of Hogwarts.

"Oh, James's Invisibility Cloak is hiding all of us," said Sirius. "That's why you can't see us but you can hear us."

"So now we go into Filch's office, right?" the young Peter asked.

"That's right, Pete," James grinned. "Peeves caused the diversion for us, so now we're putting the dungbomb in his office."

All four boys then crept down the hallway, Harry and his guardians following them. Filch's office door was open; it was as if he'd left the place in a hurry. They all went in, and Sirius did the honors of putting the dungbomb right in Filch's drawer. "In ten minutes, it'll explode and cause a horrible smell in this room," he chuckled.

"We mustn't get caught," warned Remus.

"Ah, don't spoil the fun, Remy, my friend," laughed James, pounding Remus on the back. "We're the practical jokers extraordinaire, we'll never get caught!" They had taken the cloak off by now, and James had slipped it into his pocket. "As soon as we hear Filch coming back," he said, "we grab the cloak and put it back on, then we stay here and watch Filch's reaction."

Peter sniggered. "I can't wait to see the look on his face!" he said, tears of mirth shining in his eyes.

About eight minutes later, the sound of footsteps could be heard. James quickly grabbed the cloak and draped it over all of them. They all moved out into the hallway so that they wouldn't bump into Filch, but then something unexpected happened which wasn't to the four boys' liking at all. Peter's foot had not quite moved out of the way of Filch, and he stepped on it. Peter let out an "oh!"

"Who's there?" growled Filch. His cat, Mrs. Norris, was a few steps away from him. She sniffed the air, and it was obvious she could sense the presence of the rule-breakers.

"Not going to answer me?" grumbled Filch. "I knew I heard something! Who's got an Invisibility Cloak around here? Heard some bloody students talking about someone having one. Was it those troublemaking Gryffindor second-year boys?" he muttered to himself angrily. Then he said to the air, "If it's you boys, show yourselves! I've heard enough about you from some of the professors!"

Suddenly, a horrible smell wafted to them from the office. "THAT's IT!" shouted Filch to no one he could see. "Dungbombs again! I swear, when I catch who the culprit is, I'll have them hanging by their ankles! And if it's you four Gryffindor scoundrels, you'll have detention for a whole month!" As he walked into his office, the boys heard him muttering under his breath, "I can't stand you four, always marauding around all over the place. I've never known such a bunch of troublemakers."

When it was safe, James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter all began to walk away. "Phew, that was close!" squeaked Peter as they went. "I'm sorry! Are you angry with me?"

"No," chuckled Sirius. "You've just got to be more careful, Mr. Pettigrew!"

"And how could Filch accuse us without proof?" grumbled Remus. "I suppose he has good reason to, though."

"Maybe we should tell him tomorrow, or at least make him aware it was us. The best pranks are the ones where we don't get caught, but we also want to let the whole school know exactly who we are, right?" snickered James.

"And what's that he said about marauding?" said Sirius, a devilish grin on his face. ""Marauding around all over the place ..." I like that one! He does come up with some good expressions, doesn't he? Miserable old man, but he's great to poke fun at!"

"We should call ourselves that, you know!" Peter squeaked enthusiastically.

"What, the Marauding or something?" said Remus.

"The Marauders," said Peter, a mischievous glint in his watery eyes. "Mischief-makers extraordinaire."

"You know what, Pete? That's perfect!" beamed James. "Marauders it is, then."

"Yeah, and we're not afraid to show Filch just what he's made of," said Remus.

"You're especially mischievous around now, aren't you, Rem?" said James. "You know, with the moon and all?"

Remus blushed. "Yeah, it is that time of the month," he chuckled. "Full moon tomorrow."

"Yeah, you're like a girl in that respect," said Sirius, trying to keep his laughing under control. "Girls and werewolves both have their times of the month, and their moods can dramatically change."

"Ew, who wants to talk about girls?" said Peter, repulsed. "And who wants to talk about what they go through every month?"

"Well, I eavesdropped on my mum having a conversation with my aunt about it," said James. "It's so disgusting. I'm so glad I'm not a girl."

"Yeah, and people don't think twelve-year-old boys know about that stuff," said Sirius. The present-day Sirius and Remus could see that Harry was blushing to the roots of his hair.

"Sorry, kiddo," said Sirius. "We kind of forgot this part was in there."

"It's fine," said Harry, smiling behind his hand.

"Anyway," said the young Sirius, "you know we're working on our big Animagi project."

"And don't you dare start on us again about how dangerous it is, Remus, because we don't care," said James, adopting a stern tone. "We're doing it whether you like it or not." Then, he, Sirius, and Peter began to sing terribly out of tune:

"Who's afraid of the big bad wolf,

Big bad wolf,

Big bad wolf!

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf,

Tra la la la la!

Certainly not us!"

"Don't get all sappy on us again, Rem," said Sirius, watching Remus's face go from absolutely floored and shocked to one of great emotion. It was obvious that he'd never had anyone take his dangerous condition so lightly and treat him so normally because of it, even going so far as to try and make him laugh about it. "Guys, you really don't understand," Remus tried to tell them. "You don't get how dangerous my condition is."

"Oh, what's wrong with a little danger?" said Sirius. "And we're not going to let anyone get hurt. And you're our friend. We're not going to let you hurt yourself on the full moon anymore."

"You know, I'm tempted to be disturbed by you making fun of it, but I know you mean well," said Remus, looking all the boys straight in the eye.

"Of course we do," said Peter. "We know werewolves can kill or bite people. But we know you'd never hurt anyone if you had anything to say about it."

"As I told you before, my parents tried to tell me all werewolves were bad," said Sirius as they got closer to Gryffindor Tower. "They said they're monsters, and that they don't deserve to be part of society. I think it's really stupid now, and you were the one to change my mind about that, Rem. I mean, I'd known you for a little over a year when the three of us found out what you are. And you're not a horrible person at all. Then I started thinking what if my parents were wrong, like they're wrong about a whole lot of other things?"

"Thanks, Siri," said Remus quietly. "That means an awful lot. I thought you'd all hate me when you found out, like my other friends at home."

"Like I said before, they're stupid," scowled Sirius. "You guys were able to look past my being a detested Black, and I don't know what would have happened eventually if I hadn't become friends with you. Would I finally have believed my parents about the stuff they said about Muggle-borns and Muggles not deserving to live? Since you were able to look past who my family is, why shouldn't I be able to look past you being a werewolf?"

They had almost reached the Fat Lady by now. The four friends smiled at each other, and when they got to the portrait, Remus muttered the password and they all went into the Gryffindor common room.

"Thanks again for a great night, Marauder pals," said Remus, smiling.

"Yeah, Filch gave us a new name! Never thought I'd thank that old piece of dung for anything," snorted Sirius as they went up the stairs.

The scene faded, and Harry and his guardians told the Pensieve to take them back into Harry's room. When they arrived, Harry immediately started firing questions.

"Wow, you guys were so mischievous," he said. "I don't think I'd have the courage to play a prank on Filch."

"Oh, he didn't scare us at all," laughed Remus.

"I can see that," Harry said. After a few seconds of silence he asked curiously, "How come you didn't know the word mudblood was bad? I mean, when Malfoy said it to Hermione in second year, the way he said it, he knew it was bad and that it would rile Ron up."

"Well, if you lived in my family," Sirius said with disgust, "we didn't associate ourselves with Muggle-borns or Muggles at all. I never had any real friends before Hogwarts, so I never called anybody a mudblood and learned that the word was bad. I went to the park once when I was a boy and met a Muggle, and when I asked them if they were a mudblood, they didn't know what I was talking about, so I knew they were a Muggle. My stupid old mother never let me play in the park again after that. My tattletale of a brother Regulus told her who I'd been talking to."

"Oh," said Harry. "Life must've been really rough for you."

"Well, I got away," said Sirius, sighing.

"But I love the memories," Harry said, trying to lighten the mood. "Ron, Hermione and I have gotten up to stuff, but we've never put dungbombs in anyone's office before."

"That's going to change now, isn't it, pup?" Sirius grinned. "Now you have us to teach you the Marauder ways!"

"Now now, Sirius, don't teach him bad behavior!" Remus reprimanded. "He's already got the cloak and the map, don't give him any more ideas!"

"Fine, fine, whatever you say, Moony," Sirius smirked.

xxx

Later that night, when Harry had gone to bed, Sirius and Remus sat in the living room, sipping cups of tea.

"I miss those days," said Remus reminiscently. "And the way Harry looks at us, I think he's worried. I think he wonders if it hurts us to see the memories, now that we know all four Marauders will never be together again."

"Yeah, he's a good kid," said Sirius. "It is painful sometimes, you know? But we want our legacy to live on in Harry, and the best way for that to happen is for him to see us growing up. And all those years in Azkaban tore so many of those memories from me, it is good to see them and get them fully back again."

"I know," Remus sighed. "How do you think he is, you know, after the trial and everything? Our therapy sessions with him seem to be going all right."

"I think he still has a lot of healing to do, but he's strong," said Sirius, running a hand through his black hair. "He hides a lot inside, but I hope he's coming to understand that we'll always be here to help him."

"That we will. And I'm so glad he has the friends he has. Even though Ron Weasley can be a bit temperamental at times, he seems to always come through."

"And Hermione Granger reminds me a little of you," said Sirius, grinning. "Someone with a mischievous streak but reluctant to pay attention to it."

Remus smiled at his old friend. "And Ginny Weasley has such a strong spirit, too. I'm glad they're helping each other."

"Oh, Remy, I'm not ready to send him off to Hogwarts again tomorrow!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Don't worry, Padfoot, we'll see him in a week's time," chuckled Remus.

"I know, Moony, I know."

The two men continued to sip their tea and chat about Harry, the old days, and life in general. A little later, they went to bed, and fell asleep after checking in on Harry, who looked so peaceful and content while snoozing soundly. They knew, as they'd said, that their legacy would live on in James's wonderful son.


	34. The Second Task

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Wow! Thanks so much for the positive responses to the last chapter! Please keep the reviews coming, they help me keep writing! Thanks again! I'm glad you found it so great, especially that one line a few of you mentioned!

Just to let you all know, this is the second to last update for about six days or so. On Friday, I am going on vacation. I am coming back Tuesday, but my flight gets in rather late in the day, so I imagine I'll probably be tired. So I'll most likely update again on Wednesday. So please enjoy these next two updates, the one now and the one tomorrow. Don't worry though, I definitely plan on coming back and continuing where I left off! I hope these next two chapters keep you happy.

Chapter 34: The Second Task

January and most of February passed in a blur for Harry and his friends. Hogwarts was the usual hustle and bustle, and they continued with their daily activities. Harry and his group of friends (minus Ron) kept talking to the Slytherins, and said group began to open up more and more to them. Helena, the first-year Slytherin girl who had shyly talked to them the first time they had ever had a meeting, began to share her life. Her parents had both been in Ravenclaw, and she had been horrified when the hat put her in Slytherin. Many people in the school had hissed as they walked by her, whispering about how she was going to turn out just like the rest of the Death Eater scum the Slytherin house had produced. She was so relieved to finally find a group of people who were ready to accept her as she was.

As for Theodore Nott, he was continuing to receive harassment from Draco Malfoy and his two goons. The three of them even got in-school suspensions for three days because they hexed him so badly he ended up in the hospital wing. After that incident, he was found to have Blaise Zabini with him at all times. This unfortunately meant that Zabini was next on the list for verbal taunts and physical threats. The Hogwarts staff were now seen hovering around them more frequently. Hopefully, the hysteria would die down soon. If Harry or his friends saw them in need, they would definitely help them.

Harry's therapy sessions were also progressing well. Remus was also starting up with teaching Harry Occlumency again. It was true that he hadn't had any Voldemort-related dreams lately, but Dumbledore still deemed it important for him to keep up with the training.

The second task was approaching, and Harry grew more and more nervous. He and Cedric spent much of their time in the library, reading as much as they could about merpeople. They both had figured out exactly what they were going to do in the lake. The month before, Neville and Harry had exchanged information about the different books Mad-Eye Moody had given them in September. Neville's favorite subject was plants, and once you got him started, you couldn't get him to stop. He unknowingly told Harry exactly what he needed to know about a plant that could help him breathe underwater. It was called gillyweed, and it allowed a human to develop gills for an hour so they could achieve that goal. The following Hogsmeade weekend, Harry was seen going into the store that sold potions supplies, the apothecary, and he bought some with his own money. The only other way to get some was to go into Snape's office, and he wasn't ready to have Snape's wrath flung upon him once again.

The second task was supposed to take place on the morning of February the 24th, right after breakfast. So when that day came, Harry awoke with the jitters, like he had done the day of the first task. As he sat down at breakfast, he glanced over at the Hufflepuff table, where Cedric was also looking nervous. Both of them had talked to Fleur and Viktor a few days before, and both of them had said they were ready. They'd both worked out the clue for the egg on their own, but thanked the Hogwarts champions for their concern.

Harry couldn't help but see that Ginny and Hermione were missing from the table. "Hey, Ron, where's your sister?" he asked curiously.

"Why do you want to know?" demanded Ron suspiciously.

"Just wanted to say good morning, is all. Is that a crime?" Harry asked testily. He really wasn't in the mood for Ron to get on him today. His jitters were growing worse with every second that passed.

"All right, no need to get snappy," said Ron, scowling. "I dunno. I haven't seen her all morning either."

"And what about Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I haven't seen her either," said Ron. "This is so strange. Bet they overslept or something. They'd better wake up soon. It's really unlike Hermione, though."

Little was Harry to know that Cedric was asking his friends the same questions about his girlfriend, Cho. It was plain to see that she and Cedric were deeply in love, and growing closer by the day. Harry often glimpsed them walking down the halls holding hands, or sharing secret smiles.

xxx

After breakfast, Harry and Cedric walked down to the lake together. Their friends had all wished them luck, and told them they'd be cheering for them. The rest of the school would be following them down to the lake in a few minutes' time.

"Are you nervous, Harry?" Cedric asked in a concerned voice.

"Yeah, very," Harry admitted. "You?"

"Yeah, I wonder what's going to happen," Cedric said. "Don't worry though, mate. You'll do fine, just like you did last time."

"Thanks. You'll do great too."

"Thanks."

When they got to the lake, they found Ludo Bagman, Percy Weasley, and the other judges, and Viktor and Fleur waiting for them. "Hello, hello!" exclaimed Bagman, beaming. "Are you folks ready to get this started?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Harry replied. Cedric nodded, also in the affirmative.

"Good, good! When the rest of the school arrives, you will hear me introduce the task. Then, I will blow my whistle, and all four of you will go into the lake. You then will swim until you find the merpeople. They have something of yours which you will desperately want back safely. Your goal is to find the means to get them back. The first person to get back to the shore will receive the most points."

"Is zat all?" asked Fleur, who was looking terrified.

"That's all!" smiled Bagman. "Now we just have to wait for the rest of the school to arrive!"

The seats which had been near the dragons' enclosure were now set up at the opposite bank, rising in stands. After a few minutes, they started to fill up, the whole school piling into them. Harry knew that Sirius and Remus were coming again today, and he could bet that Cedric, Viktor, and Fleur had families that were also coming to see them perform this task.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" bellowed Bagman. "Welcome to the second task of the Triwizard Tournament!" The crowd roared with applause and cheers. He then went on to explain the task again. Before Harry knew it, the whistle had sounded. He pulled the gillyweed out of his pocket, popped it into his mouth, and chewed. He almost gagged, it tasted so awful. As he waded into the lake, he wondered again why on Earth he had been put in this ruddy tournament. The lake was freezing cold, and goose pimples started to rise all over his body.

"Good luck," Cedric called to him as he also waded in, patting Harry on the shoulder.

"Thanks, mate. You, too," Harry said in the midst of chewing the disgusting stuff. Once he'd swallowed, he continued to wade until he was waist-deep in water. He could hear catcalls and jeers from the stands as he went further in, and he knew people were wondering why he wasn't underwater yet.

Suddenly, he felt two piercing pains on each side of his neck. He immediately pressed his hand to his throat and saw two slits there. They then began to grow into gills, and the pain was excruciating. He then knew what he had to do; he dove underwater and kept swimming.

He swam for a very, very long time, past clumps of mud and all different kinds of rocks. There was no sign of any of the other champions, any objects he might have lost, or any merpeople. "Hello?" he tried to call out, but the only thing that came out of his mouth was a large bubble.

Then, all of a sudden, something grabbed his ankle. Harry looked down and saw a grindylow. This was a water demon that Harry had learned about from Remus in Defense Against the Dark Arts class last year. How do I get rid of grindylows? he thought frantically as he tried to twist out of its grip, but it wouldn't loosen. What do I do? He fumbled in his pocket for his wand. What use would this be? he wondered to himself. "Relashio!" he shouted, but once again only bubbles came out of his mouth.

A jet of boiling hot water erupted from the end of his wand and hit the grindylow. Angry red patches appeared on it where it had been hit. He had to do this a few more times, since a couple of other grindylows swarmed around him. He finally managed to get his ankles out of their grip, and hurriedly swam away.

"Oh hello there, young Harry!" a voice suddenly said from beside him. Harry looked, and there was Moaning Myrtle. Astonished, he fumbled for what to say. He finally came out with, "Myrtle, what are you doing here?"

"You might want to try over there!" she said, pointing to her left. "I won't join you, though; they don't like me very much. They always chase me if I go near them."

"Uh, thanks," Harry said.

"You're most welcome. Why don't you come and visit me in my bathroom anymore? It gets very lonely, you know."

Harry didn't know what to say to this.

"Promise me you'll come and pay me a hello!" she squealed, sounding as if she were about to cry.

"Okay, I promise," Harry managed to get out. Myrtle then floated away from him.

Relieved, Harry swam in the direction she had pointed to. A little while later, he began to see crude stone dwellings. He saw faces looking out the windows, faces with grayish skin, yellow eyes, and long, green hair. They bore no resemblance at all to the pictures of merpeople he had seen in the books he and Cedric had been studying. Cedric had also told him there were pictures of merpeople in the prefects' bathroom. As Harry swam on, some of them left their dwellings to watch him. They clutched spears in their hands, looking menacing. Even though they looked different, Harry instinctively knew they were merpeople.

As he sped on, more and more merpeople surrounded him. The houses were growing more numerous, and the merpeople were talking behind their hands, staring at the human fixedly. Suddenly, a very weird sight met his eyes. A whole slew of merpeople were standing before the houses that lined what looked like a large village square. A choir was singing in the middle of it, beckoning him forward. A huge stone statue of a merperson was also very nearby, and tied to the statue was-

"Ginny!"

Harry suddenly had déja vu, thinking of the Chamber of Secrets. This was the second time Ginny needed saving. What was Dumbledore thinking? This was so dangerous! he thought angrily as he swam towards her. He could also see Hermione there, oh no! And there was another little girl who looked like Fleur's sister. He guessed that Hermione was Krum's hostage. But there was no sign of anyone for Cedric.

He must have freed his already, Harry thought. He guessed Cedric's had been Cho, and he was swimming with her safely back to shore. What would happen if an hour went by and he wasn't able to save Ginny in time, or what if Krum or Fleur didn't show up? he thought in panic. How am I supposed to save Ginny? No evil Tom Riddles or basilisks were there this time, just a bunch of ropes with two of his very best friends in the world tied to them, and Fleur's little sister, someone he didn't know but who was definitely an innocent life. How the hell could these judges and Ministry people allow this to happen? he thought. This was playing games with people's lives! The hostages seemed to be in a deep sleep, and all Harry wanted to do was return with them safe and sound.

He swam over to a merperson and beckoned anxiously to him. "Help me!" he cried.

"We do not help," said the merperson sternly, pointing his spear at Harry. Harry tried to wrench the spear out of the merperson's hand, but its grip was tighter than ever and he refused to let it go.

Harry's mind was going a mile a minute. He needed another course of action, now! He saw several sharp rocks at the bottom of the lake, and quickly picked one up. He began to hack at the ropes binding Ginny. Eventually, they came away, and Ginny floated, unconscious. As he began to hack at the ropes binding Hermione, one of the merpeople swam over and shouted, "Only one!"

"But she's my friend too!" Harry cried. "I can't just let her drown! And I can't let Fleur's little sister, either!"

"Only one!" the merperson repeated, and Harry knew what he had to do. He had to wait for the other champions, no matter what. This was beyond a joke. He wanted to return with Ginny to shore, but he knew how extremely guilty he'd feel if anything happened to Hermione or Fleur's sister. He didn't care if he was the last person to get back. Human lives were much, much more important. He didn't care if he won or lost this God-awful, dangerous tournament anyway.

Suddenly, he saw something monstrous swimming towards him. It looked a cross between a shark and a human. It began to snap and bite at Hermione's ropes, and after a minute, she was also free. Now I just have to wait for Fleur, he told himself stubbornly. I just have to.

But Fleur didn't come. After minutes and minutes of waiting, he knew he could do nothing but try to fight the merpeople if they attempted to stop him from saving Fleur's little sister. They swarmed around him the moment he began to cut at her ropes again, and he furiously pointed his wand at them. They suddenly backed off, looking terrified. He then remembered what he'd read in the library: merpeople were terrified that wizards could hurt them. Relieved that they weren't going to do anything more, Harry succeeded in getting Fleur's sister free also.

It was one of the most difficult feats of his life, trying to swim with both of them back to shore. He swam the way he'd come, past the stone dwellings, past all the other merpeople. When grindylows tried to grab him again, he used the "relashio" spell once more, and they loosened their grips, defeated. Before he knew it, Harry was feeling pains on his neck again, and he lifted his face out of the water. He could now reach the bottom with his feet.

He could see that ginny and Fleur's sister were waking up, drenched and shivering. "H-Harry?" Ginny said slowly, looking at him and the situation they were in.

"I've got you, Ginny," Harry said softly. "Don't worry." Fleur's sister said nothing, just gazed at her surroundings. "Are you both all right?" he asked, extremely concerned.

Fleur's sister nodded, and Ginny said, "I'm f-fine, just r-really cold. Professor McGonagall told us to drink this potion and suddenly, here we were. She explained to us what would happen, I just wasn't prepared, that's all."

"It's okay," Harry soothed, and then they were at the shore. The crowds were roaring and cheering, and Percy Weasley rushed over to them. Harry could hear what sounded like Fleur also. She was screaming, "Gabrielle! Gabrielle! I failed Gabrielle!"

"No, you deedn't, she eez all right," Madame Maxime was trying to comfort her. "Look over zere!"

He could also see Cedric and Cho holding each other, wrapped up in towels. Before he knew it he and Ginny were also covered in them, drying themselves off. Ron ran through the crowd, and the look on his face was a cross between relief and anger. "Thank Merlin," he breathed as he got to Ginny. "Thank Merlin you're all right. What the hell did they think they were doing, putting you in that lake?"

"I'm f-fine, Ron, please stop that," Ginny said bravely.

"I still can't bloody believe it," muttered Ron. Fred and George showed up at that moment, also expressing their relief. Fleur couldn't get to her sister fast enough. She threw her arms around her, sobbing with joy. She also hugged Harry, kissing him twice on each cheek much to his pure embarrassment.

"You saved 'er! You saved 'er!" she wailed. "Zank you, zank you, zank you! You saved 'er!"

"You were wonderful, mate," Cedric said. "I should've thought to wait for the other champions as well."

"It's all right. I guess I was just panicking," said Harry, his face flushing. "I should've known that Dumbledore wouldn't let anyone drown."

Cho was beaming at Cedric, who was still holding her close. None of the teachers were intervening or telling them that they were being inappropriate; they were too relieved that everyone was all right. Krum and Hermione were talking quietly, and Hermione beamed at Harry, pride in her brown eyes.

Sirius and Remus swept Harry into a hug as they made their way through the crowd and to him. "Cub, you didn't need to wait for the other champions," Remus said fondly, stroking Harry's messy hair. His adopted son had such a kind heart; even though he'd been brought up in horrible surroundings, his capacity to care for others was insurmountable.

"Yeah, but we're extremely proud of you, kiddo. You're one of the bravest people we know," said Sirius.

Harry looked at them, his face flushing again at his stupidity. He had just been reminded of Voldemort again when he'd been stuck in that predicament, and from the way his guardians, Cedric, Hermione, Cho, and Ginny were looking at him, they knew that was why he'd reacted the way he had.

When the marks came from the judges, Harry received second place. Cedric had come out with Cho first, then came Viktor and Hermione, and Fleur had never made it because she wasn't able to defeat the grindylows. Even though Harry, Ginny, and Gabrielle had been last to come out, they still awarded him second place because of the chivalry and bravery he had shown in the water.

Classes were cancelled for the rest of the day, and as Harry, his friends, and his guardians made their way back to the common room, Harry couldn't help thinking that there was only one task to go and then this tournament would be over. But he couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. He couldn't help but feel that before this was all over, something was going to go terribly, terribly awry. As he relaxed on one of the couches with Ginny sitting next to him and Sirius and Remus on the squashy armchairs, he hoped with all of his heart that he was wrong.


	35. Reunion of the Black Sheep

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Hey! Thanks so much for the reviews! As you know, today will be the last chapter until Wednesday. I hope you enjoy it, and thanks to those who wished me well on my vacation!

Chapter 35: Reunion of the Black Sheep

Sirius Black was nervous. Very, very nervous. It was now the middle of March, and today was a day he had anticipated since he had been cleared of all charges against him. Today, he would be seeing his cousin, Andromeda, for the first time in years.

Sirius and Andromeda had sought solace in each other growing up. Neither of them truly felt like a part of the Black family because of their differences. They could be outcasts together, and at the boring, dull dinner parties and the awful Black family reunions, they always found time to spend together. That was, until Andromeda's name was obliterated from the family tree. After that, he could only see her in secret. At sixteen, his own name had been blasted when he ran away from home. Andromeda had fallen in love with a Muggle-born by the name of Ted Tonks, and the announcement of her engagement to him was the straw that broke the camel's back for her parents.

Now Andromeda had a beautiful daughter by the name of Nymphadora. She was a Metamorphmagus, meaning she could change her appearance any time she wanted to. Sirius remembered her as a very young girl, for that was the last time he had seen her. She had always been close to her "Uncle Siri." To her he was the fun-loving adult who pulled pranks and laughed when she changed her appearance and hair to very unique colors. She was now training to be an Auror, and he was extremely proud of her. He shuddered to think about the betrayal and devastation that must have gone through her young mind when she was told he had gone to prison for murder.

Today, a sunny Saturday, Andromeda, Ted, and Dora would be coming to the house, and it would give them time to catch up. Sirius was nervous because he didn't know how the reunion would go. After all, things could hardly be normal when you'd spent almost thirteen years believing that someone you dearly loved had killed so many people.

"Don't worry so much, Padfoot. I'm sure things will be fine," Remus reassured when he finally got his worried friend to open up about his concerns.

"Yeah, I hope so, Moony. I hope so," said Sirius, tapping his foot impatiently. "I just hope they get here soon."

Ding-dong.

"That must be them," Sirius said, running to get to the door. Upon opening it, he wasn't quite prepared for the sight that met his eyes since it had been so long. Standing in the doorway were the very three people he had wanted to see again.

Andromeda was a very beautiful woman. It was true that she didn't believe in the Black family morals, but the way she held herself was definitely a Black trait. She had great elegance and poise, and her beauty was indescribable.

Ted was a very handsome man, with brown hair and blue eyes. He wore a kind smile, and you could just tell by looking at him that he had a good heart. Nymphadora was beautiful as well, and she had bubblegum pink hair today.

Andromeda and Sirius just looked at each other, examining each other's countenance. They said nothing for a few moments, just stood there and thought of all the times they'd had in the past. Finally, she held out her arms to him, and Sirius tentatively (he hardly did anything tentatively) walked into them. As they embraced, they relaxed, and the hug grew stronger. "Oh, Sirius," Andie whispered, and as they broke apart, Sirius could see tears glistening in her eyes.

"Andie," Sirius said, holding on to her hand. "It's so good to see you again."

"Likewise," she answered, discreetly wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

"Uncle Siri?" said Dora, using the nickname she had always called him. "Is that really you?" She looked at his face in shock; the haunted look from the years in Azkaban was still prominent in his gray eyes. He looked so different from the practical joker she had known as a child.

Sirius pretended not to notice the pain in her face when she saw this. "Yeah, it's me, Nymphadora," he said gently.

"Don't call me Nymphadora," she said automatically. She always hated it when anyone called her that name.

Sirius chuckled softly. "Sorry, Nymphie, I couldn't resist."

Ted shook Sirius's hand. They smiled at each other, and Ted said, "Welcome back, Sirius."

"Thanks," Sirius said. "Come in, all three of you. I'm sure you'd like to see Remus again."

"Yeah, I remember him," said Dora. All three of them had met Remus when Sirius had brought his friends to Andie's house back in 1981.

They went into the living room, and Remus and the group made their introductions. Dora and Remus exchanged a smile, and she couldn't help but remember how funny the Marauders had been.

Drinks were served by Remus and Sirius immediately, and they all sat down and began to talk. "So how have you been?" asked Sirius. He intended to keep the topic off of betrayal or Azkaban for as long as possible.

"Oh, I've been great," replied Andie, smiling. "As you know, Dora here is doing Auror training five days a week."

"Is that hard?" Sirius asked. "I know it was rather hard when I did it back in the day."

"Yeah, it's rather gruelling," Dora answered. "There's no war going on right now, of course, but ever since those Death Eaters escaped in the summer, the trainers have been like drill sergeants. It's really important to learn how to fight and how to defend ourselves."

"Yeah, that's true," said Remus. "What else do you like to do in your spare time?"

"Well, this," said Dora, grinning. With that, she changed her appearance so it looked exactly like Sirius.

"Whoa there!" said Remus, amazed. "I remember you doing that as a little girl."

"Oh you do, do you?" said Dora in Sirius's voice.

The real Sirius sat laughing in his chair. His little cousin always knew how to make him laugh, even when it was a nerve-wracking day. "What're you trying to do, confuse my friend over there?" he chortled.

"That would be about right," said Dora, changing her appearance back to herself with the bubblegum pink hair.

"That's a really fascinating skill to have, isn't it?" said Ted. "It'll really help Dora when she's done with the training. Once she's a fully-fledged Auror and actually assigned to different cases, she can look like anyone she wants to."

"Hey, remember this?" said Sirius. "Speaking of tricks?" He promptly stood up and turned himself into the big, shaggy black dog. Dora had always loved this; she had often teased him about how much he looked like a Grim. Sirius-the-dog went over to her and licked her face, just like he'd done back then.

"Sirius, get off my daughter!" Andie laughed. "She'll get dog saliva all over her!"

Sirius started to bark. Dora had always loved the sound of that as well, and wanted him to do it whenever he came around. Emotions soaring over her, her eyes filled with tears as memories of her uncle engulfed her. She buried her face in Sirius's fur, unable to believe that after all these years and after hearing what terrible things Sirius had allegedly done, he was innocent. Her beloved uncle was innocent.

Sirius turned back into a human and hugged her. The two of them said nothing, just embraced like he and Andie had done.

Everyone sat back down. "So how's Harry?" Dora asked. "I haven't met the fellow yet, of course, but I've heard all about him. The letter you wrote to me before certainly said a lot of positive things."

"He's a wonderful boy," said Sirius fondly. "And whoever decided they were going to put his name in that goblet for the Triwizard Tournament really underestimated him if they thought he'd get hurt. He's done magnificently so far. Moony and I are so proud of him."

Sirius and Remus had told themselves they wouldn't breathe a word about the problems Harry had had, even though Andie and her family were trustworthy. They just knew Harry wouldn't want anyone else to know.

"That's wonderful," Ted said, a smile on his face.

"He's a mixture of James and Lily," said Remus proudly. "He has a very kind heart, and also doesn't mind partaking in a spot of mischief once in a while."

"Does he have your temper, Sirius?" Andie joked.

"No, not quite," Sirius laughed. "His friend Ron Weasley does, though."

"Yeah, I've heard of the Weasleys," Andie said. "Molly and Arthur are a lovely couple. How many children do they have? I've forgotten."

"Seven," Remus said. "Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George still attend Hogwarts; Percy just graduated last year, and Bill and Charlie have been out for a while."

"Wow, what a big family," Ted exclaimed. Looking at Andie, he said, "I don't know if I would be able to handle that many children."

Andie grinned. "I doubt I'd be able to either. One's enough, thank you very much!"

Tonks scowled good-naturedly at her parents. "Oh, you," she said, grinning.

"You never know if you can handle more," said Sirius. "But Fred and George so remind me of how Prongs and I were."

"Yeah," Remus agreed.

The five of them continued to share stories of old times and talk about the things that had happened recently. Then, on a whim, Remus, Ted, and Dora decided to go out for a coffee so they could leave the two cousins alone. They could just tell that the two needed time to talk on their own, without anyone else disturbing them.

Once the three of them had gone, Sirius and Andie sat on the couch next to each other, simply staring into each other's eyes. Sirius knew the subject of Azkaban had to be dealt with at some point, no matter how much he didn't want to discuss it. He could tell Andie had questions, but she was keeping quiet so as not to upset him. "It's okay, Andie," he reassured her. "You can ask."

"I'm sorry," was the first thing she whispered as she kept staring into his haunted gray eyes. "I'm sorry that after all, I was like the rest of the wizarding world. You're my favorite cousin, I wasn't supposed to betray you like that by turning against you and believing you did all those horrible things. I could see how much you, James, and Lily loved each other and that you would never even think of betraying them."

"You didn't betray me, Andie," Sirius said softly. "I can't fault you for believing what the rest of the wizarding world did. It made me angry at first, but if everyone's saying a certain thing, and telling you that same thing for years, it's hard not to believe it."

"I didn't want to at first," she admitted. "I even talked to Albus, I was sure there was some kind of mistake. But he said all the evidence was against you."

"He was right about that, it was," Sirius sighed. He gently put his arms around his cousin. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to see Dora grow up. You know how much I would have loved to see that. You must have been so upset with me, I can't even imagine."

"I can't deny that I was very angry with you for a long time," Andie confessed. "I mean, I thought you and I were the outcasts together, the black sheep of the family, and then you turn around and end up just like them! That's what everyone was telling me, and after having such a bad home life ..."

"I know, it was very difficult to believe I hadn't turned my back on our friendship," Sirius said sadly.

"I just thought you'd put on a very convincing act to fool us all," Andie said.

"Andie, you know I'm not that good of an actor," Sirius said. "Prongs always said I was like an open book; I can't handle my feelings very well."

"I know, and I was stupid to think that," Andie said. "Can you ever forgive me, Siri? If I was thinking straight, I would have fought tooth and nail for you. I would've gotten you out of that horrible place. Do you still have nightmares about it?"

"Yes, I do," Sirius said honestly. "And I see James almost every night, blaming me for what happened. Moony keeps telling me that Prongs would never blame me, and I know he's right, but it's still really hard. But yes, I can forgive you. How could I not? You're the only sane one out of all of us. After Azkaban, I suppose I could be insane now too."

"Oh, Siri, don't put yourself down like that," Andie urged. "I know the rest of them are raving bonkers, and it's like we're the only two sane people in the Black clan. Toujours pur, indeed." She spat the words as if they were venom.

"Yeah, I hated that damn motto," Sirius growled. "Remember those stupid family reunions and dinner parties? We had to dress in those fancy dress robes and listen to those damned purebloods prattle on and on about how superior their blood was and about how everyone else was inferior to us. And Regulus was so subservient, he listened to everything Mum and Dad said. I tried so hard, Andie," he snarled suddenly, his face morphing into one of complete anger. "I tried so hard to teach him not to eat up everything they drilled into us. But he was their little pet, always believing them and being brainwashed by their fucking morals."

Andie didn't react to him saying the bad word. She just took his hand and gently looked into his sad eyes again. "You blame yourself for his death, don't you?" she asked quietly.

Sirius sighed. He'd never admitted this to anyone before, not even his friends. It was true that he did, in a way. Regulus had gone to Voldemort, and then backed out when he realized he had trapped himself into something he didn't want to do.

"You do, don't you?" Andie said. "Sirius, it wasn't your fault what Regulus did. He was the one who made the decision to join the Death Eaters."

"But I left the family," Sirius said in anguish. "I feel like I didn't coax Regulus to come with me enough. I did ask him to come to James's, I told him we'd accept him, but he said no. I was so mad and so sick of damn Grimmauld Place that I just left. I should've tried harder to get him to leave!"

"You did what you could, Siri," Andie soothed. "Look at me. Please believe me, it wasn't your fault. I never blamed you for it."

"I know you didn't. But it's still hard not to think about the person he was when he was younger. We always used to do things together, he and I. It was just when my beliefs started to change that we began to grow apart."

"I know."

The two of them sat in silence for a while. Then Andie asked softly, "What was it like in Azkaban?"

"Awful," Sirius sighed unhappily. "The dementors brought up every memory I wanted to forget. Adelina, dead in my arms, James, his lifeless eyes staring at me, Lily and her pleading gaze, Harry crying for his "mama" and "dada", chasing after Peter and him getting the best of me, me leaving the family, my name getting blasted off the tapestry, all those foul things. How could I not have seen it, Andie? I'm so stupid! How could I not have seen that Peter was the one all along? It sickens me to think that in 1981 when we all came to your house, Peter was already in cahoots with Voldemort."

Andie shuddered at the name; Sirius knew she wasn't used to hearing it.

"He fooled us all, Siri," she said gently. "None of us knew or suspected he could ever go bad. Peter was always a quiet boy, always in the shadows."

"I should've paid attention to the motto that it's always the quiet ones you should watch out for," Sirius said miserably.

"Please stop blaming yourself, though," Andie insisted. "It's not healthy to be beating yourself up over it all the time. You'll drive yourself insane."

"Yeah, like Azkaban didn't already do that to me," Sirius said fiercely. "I already feel insane sometimes. Being stuck in your own head for twelve years certainly isn't a pleasant experience."

"I know, little cousin, I know."

The conversation had come to a close, and the subject was not mentioned again. They knew that in due time they'd have to get past the demons of the betrayal, but just for now, they were comfortable with being back together again.

They began to talk about other things, like Dora's years at Hogwarts. She had adopted a lot of Sirius's mischievous ways, and Andie reminisced about some of the owls she'd received from Hogwarts letting her know her daughter had been given a detention yet again. Sirius's mood became brighter, and he chuckled at his little cousin's antics.

Pretty soon after that, Ted, Remus, and Dora came back, and they could tell that the two cousins had had an emotional conversation. But they had grown closer because of it, and Andie was so glad to have her Sirius back again.

The three guests stayed for a little longer, and then it was time for them to leave. Sirius promised to see them again soon, and that next time he'd go over to their place. Tonks changed her appearance once again to make Sirius and Remus laugh; this time, she was looking like an old woman with gray hair.

After she changed back she embraced Sirius lovingly, saying, "See you soon, Uncle Siri. Welcome back to the family."

"Thank you, Dora," Sirius whispered emotionally. "I'm glad to be back."

"See you folks," said Ted, smiling jovially at all of them.

"Goodbye, cousin," said Andie, also pulling Sirius into another warm embrace. "We'll see you soon."

"Goodbye, Andie. Take care, and don't get into too much trouble. You too, missy," he said jokingly to Dora.

"Oh, you know me, I never get in trouble," Dora grinned.

"That's not what I heard, Nymphadora," Sirius laughed.

"DON'T CALL ME NYMPHADORA, SIRIUS!" Dora yelled, but a grin was on her face. Everyone laughed.

Once the door had closed, Sirius and Remus sat down on their couch. "Well, that went better than I thought," said Sirius, looking relieved.

"Told you it would," said Remus. "That family's always loved you."

"It was so good to see little Nymphie again," said Sirius fondly. "She's really grown up."

"Yeah, she has," said Remus, smiling.

"I hope life continues to treat them well," Sirius said, sighing contentedly.

"I'm sure it will, Siri. I'm sure it will." Remus said.


	36. A Brother's Promise

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Hey all! I'm back from my vacation, and I had a wonderful time! Thanks to all who wished me well, and thanks also for the reviews! I really appreciate them! Believe me, I love Andromeda and Dora too, and enjoyed writing them in the last chapter!

I hope you enjoy this one too! For the reviewer whose birthday it is today, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY FRIEND!

Chapter 36: A Brother's Promise

In an old, old house on top of a hill, a horribly deformed man sat in a chair, and many other people were in the room with him. They were all wearing masks, and bowing down to the demon in complete and utter servitude. One of them was a balding man, and another one had straw-colored hair. One woman had heavy-lidded eyes and was wearing a wide smile, but it couldn't be seen because of the mask.

"So," said the thing in the chair, Lord Voldemort. "You are telling me, Crouch, that the mission is going well?"

"It is going as well as can be expected, my Lord," said the man with straw-colored hair. "Albus Dumbledore is nothing but a misguided fool. He believes wholeheartedly that I am his good friend Alastor Moody."

"Very good, very good," said Voldemort, with what could be seen as a smile slipping on to his awful, wretched face. "And the Potter boy is surviving the tournament well?"

"He exceeds my expectations, my Lord," said Crouch. "And the Diggory boy is helping him. They've become like brothers, it's sickening and pathetic the way Diggory takes care of him. To be compassionate is to be a fool, as you very well taught me, my Lord."

"Ah, yes," sneered Voldemort. "Compassion is indeed for fools. But if Diggory helps Potter closer to our goal, then all the better. Of course, Amos's pitiable son has no idea what he is doing." He smirked.

"And we should show Potter what we're made of!" crowed the woman, Bellatrix Lestrange. "Itty bitty baby Potter will know not to mess with us! Once we return to full power we will snatch away everyone he has ever loved and ever loves now, and rip them to pieces slowly and painfully. He is weak, my Lord, weak and stupid to accept friendship, to accept love. Love! Such a deplorable concept!"

"Ah, Bella, Bella, Bella, has your time in Azkaban made you forgetful?" said Voldemort softly, looking at her cruelly. "You do not speak until you are spoken to. Do it again and I will have to punish you, although I do agree with your sentiments."

"I am sorry, my Lord, so very sorry!" exclaimed Bellatrix, bowing down and kissing the pathetic creature's robes. "Please forgive me, my Lord, you are right, of course!"

"I do not grant forgiveness, Bella," said Voldemort. "But very well. However, I am warning you. You will wait to speak until I allow it.

"Getting back to business," he continued with an evil snicker, "yes, we will show Potter that fighting on the losing side will just not do. It will benefit us greatly when we meet any of his little friends. Who did you say he associates with again, Barty?"

"Ah, the Weasley girl," said Crouch, making a disgusting face. "That little lass is very close to him."

Voldemort's twisted face lit up. "Yes, the Weasley girl. You know I have informed you of what that diary does. While it was happening in Potter's second year, I was still in Albania. But since that diary has my essence in it, all the memories of my younger self and the Weasley girl were transferred to me when the diary was destroyed. And oh, what a peculiar feeling. Do you suspect that Potter knows all that my younger counterpart did to her?"

"I am almost positive he does, my Lord," said Barty. "As for other people he associates with, there are the Weasley redheaded twins, and the youngest Weasley boy. The Granger mudblood and that pathetic Longbottom creature." At this, he got a sadistic look in his eyes, and Bellatrix matched his expression.

"Ah yes, Frank Longbottom's son," said Voldemort quietly. "I must thank you, Barty, Bella, Rodolphus, Rabastaan. Out of all my feeble supporters you were the only ones to search for me. Frank and Alice are two more Aurors we no longer have to worry about. I must thank you again for being the only ones to put in the time and effort." At this, Peter Pettigrew looked like he was about to say something, but Voldemort gave him a fierce look and cried, "Crucio!" pointing his wand at him. Peter writhed on the ground while everyone else looked at him stonily. When Voldemort finally lifted the curse, Peter got onto his knees, cowering in terror, and said nothing.

"Right then," said the Dark Lord. "Anyone else, Barty, who goes around with young Potter?"

"Diggory, of course," Crouch said nastily. "Such a helpful lad." The sarcasm in his tone was evident. "So honorable, so kind. If only Potter knew what Diggory's help is leading to!" he sneered. "And Diggory's pathetic half-blood girlfriend, Cho Chang. And of course, we have the mutt Black to worry about, as well as that filthy werewolf."

"Ah yes. But you will take care of him, will you not, Pettigrew, after I have reaped my reward on you for bringing me back into my body when we capture young Potter?" asked Voldemort, with that awful smile again.

"Y-Y-Yes, my L-L-L-Lord ..." stammered Pettigrew.

"You know I would grant you the honor of giving me your flesh for the potion, Bella," said Voldemort, noticing the look of betrayal in Bella's eyes. "But you very well know the reason why I am having Pettigrew do it. After all, would it not be better for the werewolf to be executed by one he thought, for much of his life, was a friend?"

At this, Bella managed to change her face into a twisted, satisfied smile. "Yes, my Lord!" she screeched, clapping her hands in joy. "Yes, indeed!"

"Good," said Voldemort. "And the memory charm is still in place, Barty, from the time you questioned young Potter and young Longbottom on the prophecy?"

"Yes, my Lord, and as I told you before, the fools that call themselves their guardians have not informed them of this very important tidbit of information." Crouch curled his lip contemptuously. "Dumbledore told me in confidence that Longbottom's grandmother and the dogs that care for Potter think they are too young. If I knew the entire prophecy, my Lord, I would tell you. I cannot very well ask old Dumby to share it with me, though. I have interrogated old Moody, and he informed me, under severe torture of course, that the Headmaster only shared the prophecy with the Potter and Longbottom parents. When Bella, Rodolphus, Rabastaan, and myself confronted the Longbottoms, we could not get the answer out of them."

"Yes, I know that, Crouch!" Voldemort sneered impatiently. "Do not tell me again! It is clear that you looked into both Potter's and Longbottom's minds, and they told the truth about not being aware of the prophecy."

"Yes, and neither of them thought I was a very good teacher," Crouch smirked. "I was just giving them a lesson. Just a practical lesson on what torture feels like, you know. They did not appreciate it."

"Ah, but my methods should teach Potter," Voldemort said, his eyes glittering. "Instead of an innocent trip to your office for him, it will be a little trip to a graveyard. And imagine his surprise when he finds out his trusted teacher, an alleged Auror, tortured him back in September and placed a memory charm on him to make him forget about it! And imagine the look on his face when he finds out Black and Lupin kept the truth from him! Yes, Bella?"

"My whelp of a cousin always was a sentimental fool," shrilled Bellatrix. "And I can't wait to see the look on Potter's face when we tell him old Snape was the one who led his beloved parents to their deaths! There's a lot of information the mutt and the werewolf are failing to tell him!" She let out a piercing laugh which echoed through the room. Any sane person hearing it would have felt chills course up and down their spine.

Voldemort smiled nastily. "Indeed, my clever witch, indeed. You also informed me, Barty, that Potter is trying that abysmal notion of house unity, trying to convert the Slytherins to the side of Dumbledore, and that will just not do. But alas, his plan will fail, for our rich ancestry will conquer all. We might have lost Nott, but we will not lose any others to the side which will undoubtedly fail in this upcoming war. I will suggest that my brave, loyal servant Severus sees to that in a very discreet fashion. Very well. You are dismissed, all of you. You may go to your rooms and do as you wish. Yes, Bella?"

"My Lord, may you grant me the favor of taking care of Sirius Black?" asked Bella excitedly. "I am willing to do anything you ask of me, for you are my Lord and master."

"You may, Bella," said Voldemort, and Bella felt a thrill of excitement soar through her. She couldn't wait to get rid of that brat of a cousin, once and for all.

xxx

It was May now, and Harry's last few months had gone extremely well. He was feeling a lot happier than he had in a while, happier than he had since before the awful trial of Vernon Dursley. Nightmares still haunted him sometimes, but the help from Sirius and Remus calmed him tremendously. Even though he'd severely doubted it in the beginning, the therapy sessions were an enormous help to him.

Harry's talks with the Slytherins had been going on for months now. They didn't particularly do anything extraordinary, just spend time together, and Harry was extremely glad at the progress they were all making. Theodore Nott was still not warm and friendly, of course, but he made the effort to come, and he could always be seen with Blaise Zabini. You could say the two were like brothers.

Harry also spent a lot of time with Cedric and Cho, who were closer than ever. Flying with the two of them was one of his favorite activities. In only one month now, the Triwizard Tournament would be over, and Harry could put it behind him.

On this day in particular, the 24th of May, Ludo Bagman called all four champions outside. Cedric, Harry, and Cho had noticed that the Quidditch pitch was looking rather odd these days. They could still fly around parts of it, but huge hedges were starting to grow. It almost looked like some kind of maze.

Harry and Cedric headed out together to where Bagman was waiting for them. When he asked cheerfully, "What do you think is growing here?" Cedric immediately answered, "Is it a maze, sir?"

"Exactly!" Bagman beamed. "You're a smart boy, Diggory, you're absolutely right. For the last task of the Triwizard Tournament, all the champions will be going into this maze. There will be obstacles in it to stop you from making progress. Whoever gets to the center of the maze, where the Triwizard Cup will be located, is the winner of the tournament!"

"Excuse me, sir," said Krum, "but vot kind of things vill be in this maze?"

"I do not precisely know," said Bagman, "but whatever they are, you will have to use your skills you've learned in your education to get past them. All right, you may go!"

"Don't worry, Harry," Cedric said to the dark-haired boy as they walked away. Harry was looking nervous. "We'll work on spells together, all right?"

"Okay," said Harry. "It's in a month anyway, so we should be fine. Honestly, Cedric, I just want to put this behind me."

"I can't blame you there. Me, too," said Cedric. "I mean, it's been great working with you and all, but I'm getting bloody sick of this tournament now. To be frank, you deserve to win."

Harry gazed at Cedric in surprise. "Thanks, but no, I don't," he said as the two sat themselves down on the bleachers to have a talk. Cedric was looking rather serious, and Harry could tell he wanted a private word. "I was never supposed to be in this tournament anyway. It was meant for older students, and I'm not seventeen. I don't know who put my name in the goblet, but I'm going to find out who it was."

Cedric nodded. "My dad wants me to win too, but me and Mum don't care," he said. "I'm getting truly sick of Dad being on my case all the time. I mean, aren't I good enough for him? But you're too nice, mate, for saying I should win. I think you should, though. Even though you weren't supposed to compete, you've done amazingly for someone your age ..."

"But that was only with your help!" protested Harry.

"Nonsense," said Cedric. "You worked out the egg clue pretty much by yourself ..."

"But that was just luck!"

Cedric just shook his head. "It doesn't matter. You never just backed out of the tournament. You were brave just to go through with it."

"Thanks, but I guess we'll just have to disagree. But thanks for all your help. You're a really good friend."

"You, too," Cedric said sincerely. "Harry, can I ask you something?" he said, looking even more serious now.

"Yeah, sure," Harry answered, wondering what the older boy would ask him.

"Look, mate, I know we've been okay so far, but they say people have died in this tournament before, that it's dangerous. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, but if anything happens to me Harry, would you do me a favor?"

"Cedric, nothing's going to happen to you. Dumbledore's set up precautions, remember? Nothing's going to go wrong this time. You even assured Cho of that before, right?"

"Yeah, but there's times I get this weird feeling," Cedric admitted. "I can't really explain it, but it's there, and I don't like it. I'm sure it's not you, but it's me."

"Look, I'm not going to let anything happen to you either. But what's the favor?"

Cedric smiled. "Just tell everyone I love them, okay? And look after Cho for me. Tell her, especially, that I love her very much. This is from brother to brother, okay? I know you kind of don't understand about girls yet, but I'm sure you know the way Cho and I feel about each other. She's going to need you if something happens to me. Not to boast that I'm the best thing in the world, but I know Cho, and I know how she'll react. Whenever I mention the third task, I know she starts to worry. She tries to hide it, but I can tell. It still shocks me that anyone would care about me this much .." His gray eyes misted over for a moment. "But I feel the same way about her. Believe me, Harry, one day you'll understand. .But if anything happens to me, just be a brother and help her get through it, okay? Promise me you will."

Harry looked at his best friend, his brother, someone who had become as close to him this year as Ron and Hermione. Terror gripped him at the thought of something happening to Cedric, but he couldn't deny him this. Cedric had done so much for him over the year that harry had to give it back to him. "I promise, Cedric," he said softly. "I'll do what I can."

Cedric grinned and patted his shoulder. "Thanks, Harry. You're a good mate."

"No problem," Harry reassured him.

"Okay, so do you wanna go to the Room of Requirement and perhaps practice some spells now?" Cedric asked.

"Sure, I'm not busy," Harry answered. "What spells do you think would be good?"

They started to walk back into the castle. "Well, there's the stunning spell," Cedric responded. "You know, the one the dragon handlers used on those dragons we fought in the first task."

"Is that difficult to learn?" asked Harry.

"Nah, not really. You just need to put power behind it, that's all. If you like, I'll let you try it on me."

"No!" Harry said at once. "I don't want you to get hurt!"

"Oh, Harry, c'mon, it's no big deal. If it makes you feel any better, I'll put a cushioning charm on the floor so that when I fall, it won't hurt. There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it. You're going to stun me, and I'll be fine. Be a bro like you were before and don't argue with me," he said, winking and grinning.

Harry looked unsure, but with another reassuring smile from Cedric, he finally agreed.

So the two champions went to the Room of Requirement, and Cedric put a cushioning charm on the floor. He showed Harry the wand movements required to do a stunning spell, and then he tried it.

It took a few tries, but Cedric was patient and helpful. Finally, he succeeded, and Cedric fell to the ground, unconscious. Immediately worried, Harry waved his wand and woke him with the Enervate spell. Cedric got right back up immediately, smiling. "That was really good, Harry!" he said happily. "You did really well! Wanna do it again?"

As well as the stunning spell, they tried some other ones. He worked on the Impediment Jinx, and the Room of Requirement conjured some dummies that would fly across the room when Harry performed it correctly. After about an hour, Harry was growing exhausted, so Cedric reckoned it was time to stop.

The older champion walked him back to the Gryffindor common room, and squeezed his shoulder before turning away. "See you tomorrow, mate, and thanks for giving me a workout," he smiled.

"No problem," Harry replied, smiling back. "Thanks for your help. Sleep well."

"Sure thing. You, too."

And sleep well, Harry did. But before he fell into dreamland, he couldn't help but think about the favor Cedric had asked of him tonight. Harry promised he would do right by his friend, but he also made another vow that he would do anything possible to stop Cedric's strange feeling from being reality. With that thought, he closed his eyes, and the slow, steady snores of his dormmates sent him to sleep. It was always comforting to hear that sound at night; it was so normal, and he was looking forward to hearing it until he graduated from Hogwarts.


	37. The Third Task

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thank you all so much for the reviews! I'm so glad you're still enjoying the story! I know that many of you are not going to like what I do after the third task. Believe me, I looooove Cedric, he's amazing. But just know that everything I do has a reason.

Chapter 37: The Third Task

It was Saturday, June 24, 1995. Today was the day of the third task. Harry woke up with jitters all over his body. He had no idea what he would face in this maze tonight, but hoped he could handle it. After tonight was over, hopefully things would go back to normal. He and Cedric had spent the last month working nonstop on spells, and Harry felt by this point that he was more than ready.

The night before, there had been a lot of excitement. The Hogwarts senior dance, which took place for all sixth and seventh-years, had happened. Younger students were allowed to go if someone from those years invited them. Harry himself hadn't gone, but Cedric had invited Cho, and they had gone together. Cho was only in her fifth year, but Cedric was in sixth, so she was allowed. Harry hoped they had had the time of their lives.

When Harry had told Sirius and Remus the other day that that was going on, they remembered their own dances with fondness. Sirius had informed him that James had used his invisibility cloak to sneak out with Lily their seventh year after the night was over, and they spent a night in the astronomy tower under the stars. Harry then got an idea. He had lent Cedric that same invisibility cloak yesterday so he could do the same thing with Cho if he wanted to. Cedric had looked most surprised and grateful, and a brilliant smile had shown itself on his handsome face.

At breakfast with his friends, the whole room was buzzing. Everyone was talking about tonight's event, and what would happen. Fred and George were taking bets on who would win the tournament along with their friend Lee Jordan. Harry saw Cedric and Cho giving each other soft smiles from the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables. They both looked so happy that he just knew their night last night had gone wonderfully.

After breakfast, Cedric came over to Harry and patted him on the shoulder. "Professor McGonagall wants all the champions to come to that same room we met in when our names came out of the goblet," he said, smiling at Harry. "She says there's a surprise for us there. By the way, here's this back. I can't thank you enough for it, it made my night." He discreetly handed Harry back his invisibility cloak.

"No problem," Harry told him. "I'm glad you had a great time."

"Yeah, we were chosen as king and queen," said Cedric, blushing but looking thrilled. "Come on then, mate. Let's go."

So the two friends walked into the room next to the Great Hall, and Harry was shocked to see Sirius and Remus there. He also glimpsed Cedric's parents, along with the same little girl he had saved in the lake at the second task along with another couple, who must be Fleur's and her parents. Viktor's parents were also there.

"Hey, cub," said Remus as Harry walked over to them. "We're here for the whole day today, to spend it with you and then to watch the task tonight."

"Oh, wow! Were you just going to surprise me then?" Harry grinned.

"Yep," said Sirius, ruffling his hair. "We can do whatever we want until tonight."

"Cedric's parents are looking at you," said Remus fondly. "I think they want to say hello."

"Okay," said Harry, and he walked over to the two Diggorys. "Hello, Harry," said Mrs. Diggory, smiling softly. "I'm so glad you and Cedric are such good friends. Congratulations for being in second place for the tournament."

But unlike Mrs. Diggory, her husband was not smiling. "Bet you don't feel so smart now that my Ced's beat you on points," he said gruffly. "We all know he's a winner."

"Amos, that's enough. There's no need for that," Mrs. Diggory said sharply, glaring at her husband. Cedric looked totally embarrassed and scowled at his father as well.

"Well, it's true, Eileen," argued Mr. Diggory. "Our boy's in first place."

Cedric's temper had been so near the breaking point with his father lately that at this, he just snapped. "Dad, don't you know when to shut up?" he snarled. "How many times do I have to tell you that I WANT him to win? Will you stop getting on my case? Aren't I ever good enough for you, or do I have to fight Death Eaters to show my worth? How would you like it if you had people staring at your bloody scar the whole time, and you were famous for something you didn't even remember? How would you like to be forced into a damn tournament you didn't even want to be in? I've had enough of this, Dad. Come on, Harry." He took Harry's arm, gave Mr. Diggory another fierce scowl and Mrs. Diggory an apologetic look, and marched Harry away. "I'm sorry," he said, recovering from his outburst. "I just can't stand this anymore."

Harry just looked shocked. "Cedric, thanks and all, but there was no need to defend me like that," he said softly. "You're his son, and ..."

"It doesn't matter, Harry," Cedric said fiercely. "I'm sick of him putting me on some kind of pedestal!"

To calm Cedric down, Harry told Sirius and Remus that he was going to go for a walk with him around the grounds. Cho met them in the entrance hall, and Cedric filled her in on what had just happened. She offered to come with them, so they went outside.

"I hope you guys make up," said Harry as they enjoyed the summer air and Cedric took deep breaths. "I think you should make up before the task tonight."

"I don't know," Cedric muttered. "I hope so, too, but I really hope more than anything that he stops thinking I'm perfect."

"Cheer up, Cedric," Cho soothed, putting an arm around him. "He'll come around. Just think of last night, and what a good time we had." She then turned to Harry. "I'm sure Ced's already said it, but we just wanted to thank you for what you did for us, you know, with the invisibility cloak and everything. That was really sweet of you."

"You're welcome," said Harry sincerely. "I heard you were king and queen."

"Yeah, we got to dance to a song in front of everyone," said Cho, beaming. "It was wonderful." Cedric squeezed her hand gently.

"Yeah," grinned Cedric. "And we had a great time doing it."

"We did," said Cho. Harry blushed, and she smiled sweetly at him. "Aw, stop blushing," she chuckled. "I'm sure you'll like a girl soon enough. You can't tell me you've never had a crush on anyone."

Harry blushed harder; the last thing he wanted to do was admit he used to have a crush on Cho, especially when her boyfriend was like his big brother.

"Oh, you have, haven't you?" said Cedric, chuckling as well. "Aw, it's alright, you can tell us. As long as it's not Pansy Parkinson, we won't mind who it was, or is," he joked.

Harry looked back and forth between Cedric and Cho, blushing to the roots of his hair as his glance fell on Cho. Realization fell over their faces and Harry immediately recoiled. "It was last year, I-I don't have it anymore," he stammered, beginning to walk away from them.

But Cedric and Cho just laughed. "It's okay, Harry," Cedric said reassuringly, still chuckling. "Plenty of guys like my girl, that's because she's so beautiful." He winked at Cho.

"Thanks, Cedric, you do pile it on, don't you?" Cho teased. "But wow, Harry, I'm flattered. You know, I kind of suspected last year."

"I-I'm glad you're happy together, though," Harry kept blabbering. "I-I'm not going to do anything to ruin it between you two. Anyway the crush's not there anymore, because ..."

Cedric just laughed harder, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder to stop him from talking. "No need to explain, mate," he said softly. "Don't be so embarrassed. I understand. You didn't upset me, we're still bros. It happens all the time. You can't help who you had a crush on. This will just be between us. I won't tell anyone, It's our secret."

"Why did you have a crush on me, though?" asked Cho curiously. "What was it that you liked about me?"

"Well," said Harry slowly, "I know I hardly knew you back then, but I just thought you were pretty. Remember Quidditch, last year?"

Cho grinned. "Oh yeah. And Wood told you to knock me off my broom if you had to, but you wouldn't do it."

"Of course he wouldn't," smiled Cedric. "He's too nice, he doesn't play dirty!"

xxx

The rest of the morning and afternoon was spent with his guardians and friends. His jitters got worse as the day wore on, though, and at dinner in the Great Hall he was completely on edge.

After dessert, Albus Dumbledore got up to speak. "Ladies and gentlemen!" he boomed. "The champions are to go down to the Quidditch pitch now to prepare for the third task of the Triwizard Tournament! Good luck, all of you!"

"We're all so proud of you, Harry," said Ginny softly as Harry shakily got up and followed the other champions out of the Great Hall. "We'll come with you, to wish you luck."

When they got to the tent, Bagman explained that Cedric would go into the maze first, followed by Harry, then Viktor, and finally Fleur. Teachers would be patrolling the maze to make sure everything was alright, and if anyone had a problem, they should send up red sparks. Alastor Moody would be waiting at the center of the maze, right where the Triwizard Cup would be located. Bagman wished them all luck, and then all their friends gathered around them to say goodbye.

"I guess we should go sit in the stands now, kiddo," said Sirius as he hugged Harry. "We're so unbelievably proud of you. Soon it'll be all over, and you can forget about the whole thing."

"That's right, cub. Just use the spells Cedric helped you with, and any other skills you learned, and you'll be fine," said Remus reassuringly, also giving Harry a hug.

Cedric's parents came over, and Mr. Diggory turned to speak to Harry. He had an ashamed look on his face. "I'm sorry, Harry," he said quietly. "I was a really insensitive idiot this morning. I'm sorry for what I said. Ced was right to stick up for you like that."

"It's okay, Mr. Diggory," Harry replied. "I'm sure Cedric'll do well."

"I'm sure he will, too," said his father as he turned to his son. They both gave each other a long look, and Mr. Diggory held his arms open for Cedric. Cedric hugged him, and his father whispered something that sounded like "I'm sorry."

Cedric just smiled softly at him. "It's okay, Dad," he reassured him. "Everything's okay now. I'm sorry too, for this morning. I didn't mean to snap at you."

Mrs. Diggory also hugged her son. "Good luck, my boy," she said. "Amos and I are so proud of you."

Cho also embraced Harry, wishing him good luck. Neville, Ginny, and Hermione also hugged him, and Fred, George, and Ron pounded him on the back. Cho and Cedric shared a long hug and a kiss on the lips, with them whispering something that sounded like "I love you," to each other. There was fear in Cho's eyes, and Cedric whispered reassuring words in her ear as they held on to each other. Fleur and Viktor's parents were also wishing their children well.

When everyone had gone, Harry could see that the stands were beginning to fill up. Tons and tons of students were sitting down, getting ready to witness everything.

"What's going to happen," said Bagman, "is that no one will be able to see what's going on in the maze, but they'll be able to see whoever gets to the center first. There is a charm around that part of the maze so that they will be able to. As I said before, Professor Moody will be standing at the cup, and whoever touches it first is the winner!"

After about ten minutes, Bagman charmed his voice to boom around the stadium, and the usual announcements were made, welcoming all the students to the last task.

"Ready, on my whistle, Cedric!" he called at last. "One, two, three!"

"Good luck, Cedric," Harry called, smiling at him as his friend hurried into the maze. Cedric gave one last smile and wave to everyone in the stands before he disappeared from sight.

A few minutes later it was Harry's turn. Bagman blew the whistle again, and taking a huge, deep breath, he hurried into the darkness.

It was pitch black in here, and Harry lit the tip of his wand so he could see straight. He found that the "journey was definitely not as challenging and difficult as he thought it would be. He passed many different creatures he'd learned about in Defense from Remus last year, and then he passed none other than Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts. He put all his efforts into casting the spells Cedric had taught him, and ones he'd learned himself over the years.

He wondered how much longer this would go on, when he heard the voice of someone screaming. It sounded like Fleur, but it was very far away. Harry desperately wanted to help her, but he had no idea where the sound had come from. But then he saw red sparks fly through the air, and knew that a teacher was going to solve the problem.

He plodded on for what seemed like forever. But then, he heard a voice which sounded very familiar; Cedric's voice. He also saw his figure.

"What are you doing, Viktor?" he heard his friend ask in a panicked voice. "Why are you pointing your wand at me? What did I do?"

But then he heard Viktor mutter a word which he never thought he'd hear from him. "Crucio!"

But Cedric's senses seemed to be very quick, and as the light sped towards him, Harry saw him dodge it. He sprinted over to the two of them, and Cedric and Viktor started trading spells back and forth.

"Cedric!" Harry yelled. "Cedric, it's Harry! I'm going to help you!" He came up behind Viktor and grabbed his shoulders. He was caught by surprise, but in the end he tried to twist out of his grip. "You're stronger than me, Cedric, grab him with me!" he called.

"Harry!" exclaimed Cedric, shock written all over his face. He quickly helped to grab Viktor's shoulders in a vicelike grip. Harry then pointed his wand at him and shouted, "Stupefy!" Viktor fell immediately, unconscious. Without even thinking about it, he shot red sparks into the air. "What was that about?" he cried. "Cedric, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Cedric answered, still looking at Viktor in disbelief.

"He tried to use an Unforgivable on you!" Harry cried. "That's not supposed to happen!"

"I don't like this at all," Cedric admitted. "I looked in his eyes right before you stunned him, Harry, and they were totally glazed over. Do you remember what Professor Moody said about the Imperius Curse?"

Harry thought for a minute. "Oh yeah!" he said, suddenly remembering. "Anyone who's under it has a weird look in their eyes. Are you saying what I think you are?"

"Yeah, I think Krum was under the Imperius Curse, but who the hell could be doing it?" Cedric wondered. "I really don't like this at all, Harry. I think we should go the rest of the way together. I don't know who is using bloody Unforgivables on the champions but I'm sure as hell not going to let it happen to you."

"And I'm not going to let them hurt you either," promised Harry. "Okay, let's go together then. Did you hear Fleur scream earlier?"

"Yeah. Do you reckon she got hit with one herself?"

"I dunno, it was only a short scream. But she's probably all right now, I saw the red sparks."

"Yeah, me too."

Cedric and Harry went through the rest of the maze together, but they encountered no more problems, unless you counted a few more creatures. There was an acromantula right near the Triwizard Cup that they had a hard time battling, but eventually, the creature went down.

The two boys slowly walked towards the cup. "It's just us now, Cedric," Harry said. "And I think you should win."

"Harry, haven't we gone through this already?" Cedric sighed. "Both of us are here at the cup, at the same time, but I told you yesterday that if anything like this should happen, then you should win."

"I said that I didn't agree," Harry protested.

"But you saved my neck in here," Cedric replied. "Anyway, Professor Moody's looking at us. And all the spectators can see us now."

"Can they hear us, too?"

"I suspect so. To make it more dramatic, you know. Just take the cup, Harry."

"No. After everything, you proved yourself to be the better champion."

"That's not true! Just. Take. It," Cedric said slowly. "We both want this whole thing to be over, and it'll still be a Hogwarts victory. Dad'll be fine about it, and so will Cho and Mum and everyone else. Just take it."

Harry suddenly had an idea, because Cedric was so stubborn he just wouldn't let this go. "Look, Cedric, we both got here together, right? We've both helped each other, right? With the dragons, the egg clue, and the spells? How about we take it together? That'll make everyone happy."

Cedric looked back and forth between Harry and Professor Moody, who was not saying anything but smiling widely at the two of them. "Are you sure?" he asked uncertainly.

"As you said, we both want this to be over," said Harry. "And you're not going to back down about me taking the win, I just know it. So let's just do it together. We've been friends all year, we've helped each other all year, let's both give Hogwarts a victory."

A slow smile spread over Cedric's face. "Wow," he said. "Harry, you're a good mate." He gathered his younger brother into an embrace. Harry felt so relieved, it was about to be over. And he'd made a wonderful friend, he now had a big brother that would come out of the experience with him. He leaned into the embrace, smiling gently at someone who had helped him so much.

xxx

In the stands, smiles were being shared all around. Cedric was right about his suspicion; they could all hear everything they were saying. Everyone could see how close the two Hogwarts champions had become; Cedric had taken Harry under his wing and really shown him the meaning of loyalty and friendship. Cho had love and happiness in her eyes as she watched her two favorite people, one her boyfriend and one her best friend, walk towards the cup together, arms slung around each other in a friendly gesture. Ginny, Neville, Ron, Fred, George, and Hermione were also beaming. Sirius, Remus, and Cedric's parents all had massive pride in their expressions. They couldn't believe they had such wonderful boys.

"Hey, Professor," they heard Harry say, turning to Alastor Moody. "Do you want to take it with us?"

"Yeah, great idea!" Cedric grinned. "You've been a great teacher this year. Would you like to celebrate this Hogwarts victory with us?"

If possible, Mad-Eye Moody's smile grew even wider. "Are you positive? It's your victory, laddies," he said. "You have done awfully well."

"Nah, you take it with us," insisted Harry.

"Yeah, just do it," agreed Cedric.

Moody walked slowly over to the cup as well. "You are two young gentlemen I will never forget," he murmured. "Shall we touch it on three?"

"Sure," the boys both answered.

Every single spectator stood up so they could clap and cheer their champions, their friends, their classmates.

"One.

Two.

THREE!"

Moody, Cedric, and Harry grabbed the cup. A cheer began to go up, but it turned into a shocked gasp-

For the two boys and their professor were gone.


	38. Bravery Beyond All Bounds

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Author's Note: Thanks so much for your feedback! I am warning you now, many of you will want to kill me by the end of this chapter. But I promise you, I didn't deny you your request on purpose. It's just that I planned this story a few years ago, and I assure you that everything that happens has a purpose. Even if you don't like what happens, I beg you to keep reading. I don't want to lose readership over this!

Enjoy this highly emotional chappie! There is an author's note at the end as well.

Warning: This chapter does contain torture.

Chapter 38: Bravery Beyond All Bounds

The moment Harry, Cedric, and Moody touched the Triwizard Cup, Harry knew something was wrong. He felt a tug behind his navel and the familiar sensation of a portkey. Once they landed, Moody and Cedric helped him up; he once again had an awkward landing.

"Where are we?" Harry asked, getting a very uneasy feeling as he looked around the graveyard they had arrived in. Cedric looked as confused as Harry did, and Moody's face held no expression at all.

"I don't know," Cedric answered. "Professor?" He turned to Moody. "Is this supposed to be part of the task?"

"I am hoping you boys can figure that out," Moody said quietly.

So the two boys continued to look around. All they could see were headstones. "Cedric, Professor, I have a bad feeling about this," Harry admitted. "I don't think we're supposed to be here. I think we should touch the cup again, and maybe it'll take us back to Hogwarts."

"You have a good mind, Potter," Moody complimented him. The cup had fallen to the ground, and Harry and his two companions bent down and touched it again.

But nothing happened. The three stayed right where they were.

"Ah, a one-way portkey," Moody muttered. "Whoever did this made sure that touching it again wouldn't work. What else do you two suggest?"

"I know how to apparate," Cedric said at once. "Just got my apparition license this year, as a matter of fact. Harry, just hold on to my arm and I'll try and get us out of here. Professor, you try as well. You know how, I'm sure?"

"Yes, I do," Moody said.

"All right," Harry said nervously, grabbing his friend's arm. Cedric adopted a look of fierce concentration as he tried to apparate them out, but nothing happened. An extremely worried look came over the teen's face.

"I can't do it," he panted after a few more tries. "There's wards set up here to stop people from apparating. Professor, what are we supposed to do?"

But as they looked at Moody's face, it twisted into a wide, crazed smile. "Expelliarmus!" he shouted, pointing his wand at the two boys. Harry's and Cedric's wands went flying into his hands, and Moody then shouted, "Incarcerous!" The two boys fell to the ground, ropes covering them.

"Professor, what ..." Cedric started. Harry had a sudden feeling of déja vu, and he didn't know where it had come from. Moody then pointed his wand at Harry again. "Obliviate reverso!" he yelled.

Memories then started flooding back to Harry. He remembered Neville and himself being in Moody's office right after he had demonstrated the Unforgivables. He remembered him suddenly drawing his wand on them, and performing the same spell he'd performed just now. He remembered yelling that this couldn't be Mad-Eye Moody when the man made a comment about "mudbloods and other filthy scum." He remembered this impostor mocking him and his friend, and a few minutes later, he'd changed into none other than Crouch, Jr.

The confrontation came back in awful and vivid detail. He looked at Cedric in horror as everything came to the surface: Crouch's taunts, and especially something about some prophecy. A prophecy that was made before Harry was born, a prophecy which Sirius and Remus hadn't told him about. He'd tried to get him and Neville to tell him what the prophecy was, but neither of them knew anything. He'd even put Harry under crucio, and the terrible, agonizing pain came back to him. Now he remembered exactly what it was like to be under that curse. Then came more taunting from Crouch, and the memory charm that was put on him to make him forget.

After the stream of memories came to an end, Harry looked at the man he'd trusted, the man he'd thought all along was one of Dumbledore's greatest friends. "YOU!" he screamed. "It was you, wasn't it? YOU put my name in the Goblet of Fire!"

Crouch, still looking like Moody, smiled sinisterly. "Ah, so I did, Potter," he said quietly. "Did I not tell you I had a plot to get you to the Dark Lord this year?"

"What?" said Cedric, horrified. "Harry, what's going on? Professor, why are you acting so weird?" He struggled, but the spell held him firm.

"I'll tell you exactly what's going on, Diggory," growled Crouch. He put his wand to his temple, removing a silvery strand. He then walked over to the immobilized Cedric and placed the silvery strand to the boy's temple. The strand then disappeared inside of his head.

Cedric's face grew more and more pale as he watched whatever Crouch had put in his mind. "NO!" he screamed. "No, this can't be happening! How dare you, you bastard! You hurt Harry!"

Harry felt a pang in his heart. Cedric was worrying about Harry when he himself was in danger, too. It was just like him to put Harry first. But Harry was terrified for the older boy. He'd dragged Cedric here, dragged his brother, his friend to somewhere where he could be killed. He had to escape somehow! Harry didn't care what happened to his own spirit and body, all he cared about was that Cedric arrived at Hogwarts, safe and alive. He didn't know anything about this prophecy, and was shocked that his guardians had kept such a thing from him. But his mind was churning with so much right now that he'd save that thought until he got out of here with Cedric.

Crouch grinned. "Ah, so you finally realize, Diggory," he taunted. "Have you not been helping Potter all year?"

"You asshole!" Cedric shouted in terror. "Harry, you have to get out of here! Escape somehow!"

"Cedric, I'm sorry!" Harry yelled. "You're not supposed to be here!"

"It's not your fault, mate! It's this madman's! I knew you hadn't put your name in that goblet, that someone else had!"

"I knew you hadn't put your name in that goblet," Crouch mocked Cedric with a sneering laugh.

Suddenly, pain erupted in Harry's scar. As he blurrily looked around, he saw people emerging from behind headstones. Someone removed an invisibility cloak, and a beautiful woman was revealed. She had heavy-lidded eyes, and the two boys knew they had seen her before. She'd been on the front page of newspapers for months. It was Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius's vile cousin, and Harry knew what she was holding. It was Lord Voldemort.

Bellatrix let out a shrill peal of laughter. "Itty bitty baby Potter is fwightened, is he not?" she cackled. "And Crouch, what are you doing here?"

"Ah, the boys so kindly offered for me to take the cup with them," smiled Crouch.

"Where's the real Moody?" Cedric demanded, shaking all over.

"It's funny you should ask that," said Crouch. "He was very useful to me in these last months. I got a lot of information out of him so I could mirror his actions and thought processes in front of all the Hogwarts staff and students. I even fooled Albus Dumbledore! But now, my work is done, and he is no longer useful to me. So I disposed of him."

"Disposed of-NO!" Cedric yelled, his gray eyes widening. "He's dead?"

"That's what "disposed of" means, young Diggory," Bellatrix sneered.

"If old Dumby looks in Moody's magical trunk," said Crouch, grinning, "he will find the corpse of his old friend. A lot of his hair will be missing, mind, from the Polyjuice Potion I perfected so I could assume his appearance."

"That's enough talking," said a high, cold voice. "Remove the spell from the boys. Crouch, you levitate young Potter. Rookwood, you levitate Diggory. Bella, bring me to the cauldron at once."

Crouch took the spells off the boys, and at once, they tried to run for it. But Rookwood and Crouch were too quick for them. Crouch levitated Harry as asked, and Rookwood did the same with Cedric. Harry screamed in pain and put a hand to his scar as it seared. Agony coursed through him as the pain grew more intense with each second. Harry's heart was pounding, and he tried in vain to escape the levitation spell. He had to get to Cedric, he just had to! His big brother had to be all right!

Harry was dumped down on a gravestone, and ropes were tied to him. He looked at Cedric in fear as he saw that the same thing was happening to him.

A cauldron was standing a few feet away from the two boys, and as they looked around, one of the masked men removed his mask. Standing in front of them was Peter Pettigrew.

"Bella, put me in the cauldron," the high, cold voice demanded.

Bella willingly put what looked like a deformed baby into the bubbling cauldron. Please, let it drown! Harry thought as it frothed and boiled.

Peter raised his wand, speaking in a terror-stricken voice to the night.

"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!"

The grave at Harry's feet cracked. He and Cedric let out horrified gasps as a fine trickle of dust rose into the air and dropped into the cauldron. The potion bubbled again, even more so.

Pettigrew's face suddenly grew even more terrified. He stammered, "F-flesh of the s-servant ... willingly given ... you will revive your master."

The boys let out screams of unadulterated fright and revulsion as the man cut off his hand with a dagger, and it plopped into the cauldron as well. Peter fell to the ground, screaming in agony. The two friends looked at each other, and it looked like Cedric was trying his hardest to hold in his dinner.

"Get off the ground, Wormtail!" shrilled Bellatrix. "Shut up, you blibbering fool!"

Slowly, Pettigrew got off the ground. He removed a vial from his robes as he walked over to Harry.

"No!" Cedric shouted. "No, you sonuvabitch, you won't hurt Harry!" He struggled in his bonds, trying to get to the younger teen.

"It's no use, Cedric!" Harry shouted back as Wormtail held the dagger to Harry's arm and cut it open, causing blood to pour into the vial. Harry screamed in anguish.

"Blood of the enemy ... forcibly taken ... you will resurrect your foe!" Peter intoned. He then emptied the vial into the cauldron.

"Oh God, harry, are you okay!" Cedric asked, his gray eyes wide as he watched more blood drip from Harry's arm.

"I'm f-fine, Cedric," Harry stuttered in answer. The pain in his arm as well as the pain in his scar was blinding him.

The liquid within the cauldron turned a blinding white, and sparks flew in all directions. Harry and Cedric hoped with all their hearts that somehow this had gone horribly wrong.

But suddenly, the sparks from the cauldron were extinguished, and they could see the dark outline of a man rising from inside it. With a thrill of panic, Harry knew it was Lord Voldemort, returned to full power. And with Harry's unwilling help! Harry couldn't describe how terrible he felt just then.

"Robe me, Bella," said Voldemort softly. Bellatrix immediately did as she was told. As Voldemort stood up, she put the robe gently over him, almost like she was doing it to a lover.

"My Lord!" she exclaimed in wonder as she touched his hand lovingly. "My Lord, you have returned!" The smile on her face was extremely bright.

"Indeed I have, Bella, indeed I have, and I am honored to have these two guests at my rebirth party," said Voldemort. His face was a repulsing thing to behold. His eyes were red, and he had slits for nostrils. He had a wide, lipless mouth, and his body looked like a snake. Harry and Cedric's hearts pounded in their ears.

"You are lying, Harry Potter," said Voldemort, "on the headstone of my ancestor, my filthy Muggle father, the pathetic father who didn't want me, who abandoned me. My mother, being the sentimental fool that she was, gave me his deplorable name. Tom Riddle."

"I'll tell you what's deplorable," shouted Cedric with every fiber of bravery he had. "You are! Dragging Harry here to hurt him, how dare you!"

Voldemort immediately pointed his wand at Cedric. "I've heard all about how you protect Potter," he sneered. "Crucio!"

"NO!" Harry shouted, his throat tightening as Cedric's screams filled the graveyard. Many of the masked figures laughed tauntingly, and Bellatrix screeched with giggles. "How do you feel now, itty bitty baby Potter?" she yelled insanely.

"Stop it, please! Stop it!" Harry cried in panic, tears springing to his eyes. He willed them away angrily; he didn't want Voldemort to gain any satisfaction from seeing them.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Voldemort lifted the curse. Cedric lay panting on the gravestone, sweat pouring down his face.

"You see now, don't you, Diggory?" said Voldemort softly. "You see now why you shouldn't insult Lord Voldemort, for he will reap his vengeance upon you!"

Cedric said nothing; he was still panting, but he did glare at the Dark Lord with utter hatred and fury.

"Now, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," mocked Voldemort, "my mother died in child birth. She only lived long enough to name me. Tom was after my father, Marvolo was after my grandfather. Then I was brought to a filthy orphanage, where I was ridiculed by disgusting muggles. But when I came to Hogwarts, I discovered my power and ancestry. I am the heir of one of the most powerful wizards in the world, Salazar Slytherin!"

He then went on to explain about his ascension to power, and then about how he had fallen back in 1981 when Lily Potter sacrificed her life for Harry. He'd spent years in exile in Albania, but then, Barty Crouch, Jr. had somehow freed himself from his father's Imperius and had gone to find him. On the way, he had captured Bertha Jorkins, who had some very valuable information about the Triwizard Tournament. Crouch Sr. had put a memory charm on her so that she wouldn't reveal certain facts about the tournament which she'd overheard by accident. Unfortunately, the forcible removal of the charm had broken Bertha, and in Voldemort's words, she was "no longer useful," so he disposed of her. Harry and Cedric were disgusted by the callous way these people treated human life. Voldemort then explained how Crouch had tried to help Harry so that he'd win the tournament.

"But it turned out," said Crouch, whose face had turned back into himself during Voldemort's long-winded explanation, "that I didn't need to do much helping. Young Diggory here was very willing to assist young Potter, were you not, Diggory?"

"You bastard!" Cedric hollered. "I would never lead Harry to you, and you know it! Harry, I'm sorry!"

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Cedric," Harry reassured him. Cedric was looking at Harry with a very sad, apologetic look.

"Ah, how sweet," jeered Bellatrix. "Look at the way the wittle fwiends talk to each other."

"You can try to make yourself feel better about this as much as you want, Diggory," Voldemort sneered. "But you know you placed Potter right into my hands. Wormtail, hold out your arm."

"Oh, thank you, my Lord! Thank you!" Wormtail simpered, holding out his stump of an arm.

Voldemort gave him a disgusted look. "The OTHER ARM, Wormtail," he snarled. Peter immediately stopped talking and held out the other arm. Voldemort pressed his wand to the Dark Mark, and the other man let out a scream of pain.

Moments later, figures started to apparate into the graveyard. The wards had obviously been removed. More Death Eaters, the boys realized with another thrill of terror.

Voldemort then gave a speech to them, giving the information of his return in detail. He walked around the circle, snarling at them for their failures while he was without his powers. Harry and Cedric were forced to watch as he put many of them under crucio, especially Lucius Malfoy. He then spoke of two Death Eaters, one who had left him forever and one who was a coward. He said he'd exact his revenge on them in due time. Then he asked Peter to hold out his stump of an arm, saying how he was going to reward him for his service this evening. Harry and Cedric gazed in open-mouthed astonishment as he was given a silver hand to replace the one he had cut off. Peter bowed to Voldemort, kissing the hem of his robes and thanking him profusely.

"Harry Potter," Voldemort then said softly, turning back to Harry. "As you remember now that Crouch has so kindly removed the memory charm, a prophecy was made about you before you were born. Your parents sacrificed themselves to keep you safe. Do you have any idea what that prophecy says?"

"You know I don't!" Harry shouted, glaring at the awful-looking man. "Didn't your lackey Crouch tell you? I have no bloody idea!"

"Now, now," said Voldemort nastily. "That just will not do. Yes, Bella?"

"I know how to make him talk!" yelled Bellatrix in sheer joy. She looked into Voldemort's eyes and they seemed to communicate without words.

"My thoughts exactly, Bella. What a clever witch you are," said Voldemort. "I am giving you one more chance, Potter. WHAT IS THE PROPHECY?"

"I ... don't ... know!" Harry screamed at the top of his lungs. "I ... don't ... know ... anything!"

"Very well," snapped Voldemort, pointing his wand at Cedric. "Crucio!"

He was using the same method on Harry to make him talk as Crouch had used on Neville to make him talk. "No, stop it!" Harry howled as Cedric's pain-filled screams once again filled the graveyard, along with the insane, evil, demonic laughter of the Death Eaters.

Once Voldemort removed the curse, he taunted, "Are you going to talk, Potter?"

"Don't ... tell ... him ... anything!" Cedric managed to choke out between gasps for breath. "Fight him, Harry!"

"I'm sorry, Cedric!" Harry cried. "I don't know! I don't know what the prophecy is, all right? Hurt me instead, leave Cedric alone! He's not involved in this! This is between you and me!"

"Harry, no!" Cedric pleaded. "I don't ... want you ... getting hurt ... either!"

"How touching," sneered Voldemort. "However, as sickening as this scene is, Potter, your wish is not fulfilled. Crucio!" he cast on Cedric again.

After the next round of torture, Cedric struggled within his bonds and shouted, "I don't ... care if you ... hurt me, but if you ... hurt Harry ... you bastard ... I'll fight you!"

Voldemort's smile grew even more sinister, if it could possibly do so. "You'll fight me?" he said quietly. "Maybe I should give you the chance." He cruelly freed the ropes from Cedric. The boy immediately struggled to his feet, still panting heavily from the curse.

"Cedric, no!" Harry screamed in terror. "He'll kill you!"

"I'd rather go down helping you!" Cedric answered stubbornly, walking over to Harry and touching his hand. He bent down and whispered in Harry's ear. All the while, Voldemort and his servants gave them cruel, mocking stares. "If I die tonight, mate, remember your promise to me from last month. And don't you dare blame yourself. This wasn't your fault in any way."

Harry once again felt tears spring into his eyes. It was because of him that Cedric was here at all! How could he say it was not his fault? And Harry couldn't just watch him get killed! He had to do something!

"Please, Cedric," Harry whispered back. "Please don't fight him. He'll kill me anyway. And I don't want you to die!"

"Harry, I have to," Cedric said, fear in his eyes. He was terrified of Voldemort but was showing true bravery by standing up to him. Harry suddenly had a flashback of the confrontation with Mr. Diggory this morning where Cedric had shouted, "Do I have to fight Death Eaters to show my worth?" Ironically, this statement was coming to fruition in the worst way possible.

"Listen, Harry, I'm going to fight him," said Cedric. "It's the right thing to do." No matter what Harry said, he couldn't get the older boy to budge. Cedric squeezed Harry's hand gently and stood in front of a smirking Voldemort. Crouch handed him back his wand with a truly awful smile.

"Do your worst, Diggory," Voldemort taunted.

Harry struggled in his bonds, but Voldemort just laughed. So all he could do was watch in horrified silence as Cedric and Voldemort threw spells at each other. Cedric was doing well, dodging every spell the Dark Lord threw at him, but after minutes of this, the seventeen-year-old was tiring. None of his spells had hit Voldemort, and the older man finally got him with an expelliarmus.

"Noooo!" Harry cried, knowing what was about to happen as one of his best friends was forced to his knees by another spell from the Dark Lord. He tried to get up but the spell held his knees in place. The older teen looked to Harry with a pleading expression, and Harry knew he was pleading with him that this situation wasn't his fault. There was also fear on his face, and this was perfectly normal, for death was practically staring at him. Without being able to stop them, Harry felt more tears enter his eyes and this time, they fell down his cheeks as he repeated Cedric's name over and over again.

"You are a brave boy, Diggory," Voldemort said softly. "But bravery comes with a price. Any last words?"

Cedric courageously looked at the Dark Lord and took a deep breath. "Go to hell." he said softly. "Harry will get you in the end. He's more of a wizard than you'll ever be."

Voldemort just snickered. "Very well," he spat. Pointing his wand at Cedric, he screamed, "Avada Kedavra!"

"Noooo!" Harry wailed. The Death Eaters snorted with laughter as the green light rushed towards his big brother, someone who Harry cared about with all his heart. More tears spilled over as Cedric collapsed to the ground beside him and didn't move again.

As the tears fell continuously, Harry stared into his big brother's face. He tried to will him to move again, to be all right, but he didn't. As he stared into his wide-open, lifeless gray eyes, he flashed back to in his dreams, and to the Quidditch World Cup. Those deaths had been terrible too, but he hadn't known those people. But Cedric ... Cedric, oh God, he had been the brother he never had. As he continued to stare into his unblinking eyes, and he saw his face fixed in an expression of helplessness and fear, he felt hysteria seize him. At that moment he didn't care if he was crying in front of his enemies. One of his best friends was gone.

"Awwwww, are you cwying, Hawwy?" jeered Bellatrix. "Are you sad now that your little fwiend is dead? Your pwotector is dead, Potter," she sneered, going over to Cedric and stroking his face. "He was a very handsome boy, wasn't he?"

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Harry screamed through his sobs.

"Now, now, Harry," said Voldemort. The guilt inside the teen was unimaginable. He'd led his friend right to his death. How was he going to explain it to Cho if he ever got out of here? She'd never speak to him again! This would devastate her! And how was he going to tell the teachers, his friends, Sirius and Remus, Dumbledore, Cedric's parents? Anger filled him, anger at Voldemort, at Bellatrix, at Crouch, at every single Death Eater there. Recklessness filled him; he'd just watched his big brother die. Now he wanted to die too, and he wanted to die heroically and bravely like Cedric had. Furiously wiping his tears away, he spat at Voldemort, "Give me a chance to fight too!"

"Ah, I was planning on it," sneered Voldemort. "But before I give you that opportunity, I have one more piece of information to share which you will probably find most interesting."

"I don't want to hear it," Harry snarled, wiping the last of his tears and forcibly stopping his sobbing.

"Ah, I think you will," said Voldemort quietly. "When Sybill Trelawney gave Dumbledore the prophecy which predicted your fate, you will not believe who overheard the first half of it and came right to me to deliver it." After a long silence, he looked straight into Harry's eyes and said cruelly, "It was Severus Snape."

"You liar!" Harry screamed, but Voldemort just smiled at him. His whole body went cold and numb as he realized, by the look on Voldemort's face, that he was telling the honest truth. Voldemort then undid the ropes from Harry. Harry gave one last look to his departed friend before struggling to his feet. He would join him soon.

"Yes, you will," said Voldemort, reading Harry's mind. "Do you want to die Harry? Are you giving up?"

"Go to hell," Harry said furiously. Crouch handed Harry back his wand, and all the Death Eaters watched in fascination.

"You do know," said Voldemort, "that if you weren't close to Diggory, we would have made him suffer less. You know very well that no matter what he said, it was all your fault. Your fault alone. I had to kill him because of you. And your parents also died because of you. Avada Kedavra!"

But Harry was ready. Despite Voldemort's taunts, the anger and hate still churned inside of him. "Expelliarmus!" he yelled, knowing that at least he'd go down fighting, like Cedric had.

But something very strange happened. The red and green spells met in midair, and all of a sudden, Harry and Voldemort's wands began to shake. Harry held on with all his strength, more shock filling him.

"My Lord! My Lord! What's happening? How can I assist you? My Lord!" Bellatrix shrieked, for once looking truly stricken.

"Be quiet, Bella, and let me be!" snapped Voldemort. "A wizard of my caliber can handle this!"

Harry and the Dark Lord were suddenly lifted into the air and dropped down at a patch of ground which was free of graves. Then, a wonderful flood of music emanated through the graveyard. Harry had heard it before; it was phoenix song. He remembered it from two years ago at the confrontation with Tom Riddle in the Chamber of Secrets. It was as though the music was saying: don't break the connection, young one, don't break the connection. Harry obeyed the command and held on tighter as his wand vibrated even more powerfully. The Death Eaters were circling the two fighters, asking for instructions, and Voldemort screamed at them to do nothing.

There was a cage of light connecting the two wands, which then became a golden dome. The two continued to hold their wands tightly, and the phoenix song continued to echo around them. The cage then broke into beads of light. The phoenix song then seemed to tell Harry that he had to move the beads of light to Voldemort's wand instead of his own.

So Harry did just that. He struggled and fought, but managed to do it. All of a sudden, a figure began to come out of Voldemort's wand. It seemed to slither out, and it had arms, legs, a body, and a face. Harry couldn't help bursting into tears again as he saw Cedric Diggory burst out of the wand. He knew that Cedric was still dead, that somehow this was some kind of ghost, or memory, coming out of the wand. He could still see Cedric's body a little ways away.

"Hold on, little brother," Cedric said softly. "Don't worry, more help is on the way."

Then, a silver hand shot out of the wand, the hand which Voldemort had conjured for Wormtail. Then screams echoed from the wand, and Harry realized it was dredging up every spell the Dark Lord had done in reverse order. Lots of screams were heard, from many different servants, for those were the spells he had done last.

Then, another figure slithered out of the wand. Harry recognized her; she had also been featured on the front page of the paper. It was Bertha Jorkins.

"I know you feel like you want to give up, Harry," she said, "but please don't. We'll help you escape."

Frank Bryce came next. "Wow, he was a real wizard," he exclaimed, staring at Voldemort. "He murdered me. Fight him, boy!"

In his heart, Harry knew what was coming next, but it still didn't prepare him for the sight that met his eyes. He was openly crying as a beautiful woman with red hair and emerald eyes just like his own came out of Voldemort's wand. This was too much for Harry to take. He almost let go of the wand, but managed to hold on in the end.

"My boy," Lily Potter said, her voice full of emotion. "My wonderful, beautiful, precious baby boy. Hold on, everything will be all right. Your father's coming, he wants to see you."

Guilt gnawed inside Harry as he remembered what Voldemort had said before, and he knew it was true. His parents had died because of him. Why were they helping him?

"My darling, it wasn't your fault," Lily soothed, and Harry could see tears shining in her emerald eyes. "Please don't ever think it was. Voldemort is just trying to hurt you."

James Potter materialized then. "Harry, my son," he said, smiling sadly at him. "Lily and I have very little time, but we need you to do something for us. As soon as we tell you to, break the connection. Then go to the Triwizard Cup and shout, "Portus reverso!" It should make the portkey go back to Hogwarts, where it was last. Okay?"

"Mum, Dad, I'm sorry," Harry gasped out.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Harry. We love you," James said sincerely.

"Harry," Cedric said softly. "Take me back with you, please, won't you? And please, tell Cho I love her. Take care of her. And tell my parents I love them as well. Stay strong, my friend."

"We love you so very, very much, sweetie," Lily said, tears running down her face. "Always know that, all right?"

"And tell Padfoot Adelina sends her love, and also tell him I don't blame him at all," said James. "And tell Moony Julia says she's sorry."

Harry swore he'd heard the name Adelina before, but he didn't know who Julia was. But he promised his father he'd give them the message.

"Are you ready, Harry?" Cedric said. "one, two ..."

"Sweetheart, let go," Lily said, and Harry immediately did. Still sobbing, he shouted, "Portus reverso!" pointing his wand at the portkey. He then ran over to Cedric's body and made his limp hand touch the portkey. Voldemort let out a scream of pure rage as the two boys disappeared.

Lily, James, Frank, Bertha, and Cedric's ghosts gazed at Voldemort and the Death Eaters. "You will not win, Voldemort!" Lily said as she glared at him.

"He'll definitely get you, you can be sure of that," said James.

"Yeah, he's a good friend, and you won't destroy him," Cedric said as the five figures began to fade. Within a few seconds, they were gone.

Voldemort let out another scream as he furiously glared at his Death Eaters. "You incompetent fools!" he screeched. "But let Potter go back to Hogwarts and tell Dumbledore I have returned! Let Dumbledore tell that blibbering idiot Cornelius Fudge! Fudge and the Ministry will not listen, they are pathetic and believe only what they want to! They will think that there is no spell that could bring me back to full power from my deformed state. We will get Potter next time, and totally by surprise as well! The Ministry will play right into my hands! And we will then win a glorious victory!" With this last statement, cheers and laughter filled the graveyard. Then Voldemort disapparated back to Riddle Manor, his followers disapparating a moment later.

All was still.

Author's Note: Please, please don't kill me! Cedric is one of my favorite characters but in order to move the story along, he had to go. I beg of you, please don't stop reading this story! It gives me pleasure to write it when I know people like you read it. After all, you can bring Cedric back by rereading previous chapters! You will also be happy to know that you will be seeing him again much later on in the story. No, he won't come back to life, because no spell can reawaken the dead, but you will be seeing him somehow. You can count on that.

Also, I needed to kill Cedric in order to set up the Umbridge storyline, which will be somewhat different than it was in canon. Also, I hated the way Cho was treated in canon. I felt that no one was there for her after Cedric's death. In this story, of course, I will have more people there to support her.

Please review and let me know what you think! Thank you!


	39. Grief and Guilt

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Hi all! I'm back from a weekend of being busy with friends. Sorry for not updating, but I'm back now. Thanks to all for the reviews, and thanks also for your understanding about Cedric. I love him too, and I hated killing him off. But it had to be done for the story to advance.

To the one reviewer who thinks Harry isn't justified in acting emo, I'm sorry, but I have to respectfully disagree. He's a 14-year-old boy whose life has been completely turned upside down. He's just seen his best friend murdered right in front of his eyes, and he was helpless to do anything about it. Then he's told that there's a prophecy about him and his parents died protecting him. You said that he should be honoring their sacrifice instead of going on about how it's his fault, but he only just found out! This is a boy who didn't know the meaning of love and friendship for the first eleven years of his life. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon blamed him for stuff that wasn't his fault all the time, and now that he believes that something really is his fault, of course he's going to blame himself. And as far as him bursting into tears when he's in a fight situation? Again, he's not a hardened soldier, he's a sensitive teenage boy who's just watched the brother he never had get brutally murdered. If I were in his position, I'd be crying too!

Okay, please enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 39: Grief and Guilt

The moment Harry, Cedric, and Moody disappeared, everyone knew something was wrong. Muttering arose in the stands, and as the minutes passed, it grew to chaos. Sirius and Remus went over to Dumbledore, Sirius looking furious.

"Dumbledore, what the bloody hell is going on!" he screamed through the hubbub. "Where is my godson?"

Dumbledore, looking stricken, only shook his head. "I don't know," he admitted.

"We have to look for him, Albus," said Remus shakily, while Sirius hopped up and down on the spot.

"I should have known something like this was going to happen!" Sirius roared.

"Dammit, where's my son?" came another angry voice. Mr. Diggory was now at Dumbledore's side as well, clasping his wife's hand. Eileen Diggory had terror in her eyes.

More minutes passed, with the two boys and their professor still not returning. Dumbledore said that if they didn't come back soon, he was going to go back inside the school to try and contact Severus Snape. If anyone might know where the three had disappeared to, he might. A few days prior, he'd had to leave the school because he came down with a case of the wizarding flu. You would think that a person like Snape would never get ill, but even greasy gits like him got the flu.

"If you're going to contact Snivellus, that means there's no hope whatsoever!" Sirius fumed. "Leave it to him to get sick when we need him the most!"

So all they could do was wait. Sirius and Remus grew more and more agitated as the minutes passed.

THUMP!

Suddenly, Harry and Cedric materialized at the entrance to the maze. But Alastor Moody wasn't with them. People started piling out of the stands, running onto the field. A sobbing Cho Chang, along with a terrified bunch of Gryffindors which included Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, were the first to reach their side, along with Sirius and Remus. They immediately knew something was terribly, horrifically wrong, for Harry was crying, wailing, clutching on to Cedric for dear life. Cedric lay limply on the ground, gray eyes staring glassily up into the sky, and he wasn't moving.

"Harry! Harry! Kiddo, what's wrong?" Sirius cried frantically as he ran over and put his hand on Harry's shaking shoulder.

"Cedric ... Cedric ... I tried ''' to save Cedric ..." Harry gasped out between sobs, still clutching on to his friend. "Voldemort ... he's back! I tried ... to stop it ... but he ... but he ... killed Cedric!"

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Cho Chang screamed, bursting into hysterical sobs. Mr. Diggory's mouth hung open, and Mrs. Diggory collapsed to her knees beside the fallen Cedric.

"What do you mean, You-Know-Who killed Cedric?" Cho screamed. "Is this some kind of a joke?" This was her worst fears coming to fruition in the worst way possible.

Harry looked at her, sorrow in his green eyes. Cedric's eyes continued to gaze up at the sky. Cho collapsed beside her fallen love, clasping his hand as tightly as she possibly could. She looked into his staring eyes and pleaded with him to wake up, to do anything. "Look at me, please, love, look at me! Please, tell me what's wrong!" she screamed. Ginny and the others stood frozen. More people ran out onto the field, and Cornelius Fudge was next to reach them. He went over to Cedric and felt for a pulse.

"My God, Dumbledore!" he cried, his mouth gaping open in shock. "Potter's alive, but Diggory's dead!"

The news was passed around from person to person, and pretty soon everyone in the stands was yelling "Dead! Dead! Dead! Dead! Dead! Cedric Diggory! Dead! Dead! Dead! Dead! Dead!"

"Harry, let him go," Dumbledore said sorrowfully, going over to Harry. He and the others also noticed that Harry's arm was bleeding profusely from a horrible-looking cut.

"No!" Harry yelled. "No, I won't!"

It was a heartwrenching scene. Cho was still screaming and sobbing, pointing her wand at her boyfriend and screaming "Enervate! Enervate!" over and over again, but nothing was happening. Mr. Diggory was at Cedric's side, screaming his son's name along with howls of "THAT's MY SON! NOOOOOO! MY BOY! NOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Mrs. Diggory was choking on her tears, stroking Cedric's still face as though love could bring him back.

"Harry, where's Alastor?" Dumbledore asked through the endless commotion, trying to loosen Harry's grip on Cedric. "Where's Professor Moody?"

"That ... wasn't ... Professor ... Moody!" Harry cried hysterically. "It was ... Barty ... Crouch ... Jr!"

Sirius gave Dumbledore a menacing look. He had never felt so angry in his life. This had happened right under Dumbledore's nose, and the old wizard hadn't known a thing. One of Harry's best friends had been murdered right in front of him, he could just tell. And Harry had escaped from being murdered as well. He was too shocked to speak as he glowered at the Headmaster with pure rage in his gray eyes.

Finally, Dumbledore removed Cedric from Harry's grip. Mr. Diggory picked up his son, holding him in his arms and still wailing. "All students, please go inside the school!" Dumbledore bellowed. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. He was not infallible as people thought; how was he supposed to handle this? How was he going to console the Diggorys? He could see agonizing guilt and grief on Harry's face. This boy should have never had to deal with such a burden.

"Shhhh, Harry, it's all right now," Sirius said gently, his face softening as he turned to Harry. Remus quickly incanted a healing spell, and Harry's arm mended itself. Sirius then picked up his godson and began to carry him into the school. Dumbledore said something to Fudge, who reluctantly nodded. He and Remus then walked beside Sirius and Harry, their hearts heavy. Harry's friends tried to come with them, but Dumbledore held them back. They were clinging to each other, with Cho still inconsolable, and Neville, Ginny, and Hermione also weeping. Ron just stood there with his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

Dumbledore said something to Hermione, who nodded solemnly. She knew Harry was in too much of a state to speak at the moment, so through her tears, she begged the others not to bother Harry. Cho yelled and screamed at her, "I need answers! I need to know why my Cedric is dead!" Her knees gave out from under her, and she fell to the floor, tears continuing to stream down her cheeks. Madame Pomfrey came running, and gently picked Cho up in her arms. Cho kicked and wailed, screaming Cedric's name, but the matron never loosened her grip and began to carry her back inside the school. Hermione stared after her, a grief-stricken look on her face. She told the others that Dumbledore would let them know what had happened to Harry and Cedric later on.

"No, I'm coming with them!" Ron howled, his face as red as his hair. But Hermione gave him the fiercest look she had ever given him.

"Harry needs his guardians right now, Ronald," she snapped. "We're not going to be any help to him. A devastating tragedy's just happened."

"That's why we need to be there for him!" Ron shouted right back.

"Ron, just listen to Hermione, would you?" shrieked Ginny. She and Hermione grabbed Ron's arms and marched him away from Harry, Sirius, Remus, and Dumbledore.

"Why are you following us, old fool?" Sirius said angrily to Dumbledore.

"Sirius, he needs to know what happened," Remus tried.

"Like hell he does!" Sirius roared. Dumbledore looked older than he had in years. Sirius wanted to punch his lights out. He had no right to look like that. He hadn't even bothered to start searching for Harry while he was being tossed into this catastrophe.

The Diggorys disappeared inside the school, Mr. Diggory still holding his precious Cedric, wailing over his lifeless body, Mrs. Diggory still looking shocked and numb. Dumbledore told them he'd be at the hospital wing in a minute, he just needed to find out the facts from Harry.

Remus stroked Harry's back while Sirius continued to carry his sobbing bundle of a godson. All the while, Harry was muttering words like "I killed him ... it's my fault he's dead! My parents ... my parents ..." He was not responding to any of the comfort his guardians were trying to bestow upon him.

When they reached Dumbledore's office, all was quiet except for Harry's racking sobs. Sirius sat on a couch Dumbledore conjured, rocking his godson back and forth. Remus sat next to him, stroking Harry's hair. Dumbledore went to a drawer behind his desk and got out a vial. He went over to Sirius and said, "I know you're furious with me right now, Sirius, but it will be in Harry's best interests that you give him this potion. It's a calming draught."

"Open your mouth, kiddo," Sirius said gently. Harry was still too overwhelmed to respond, and Sirius looked to Remus helplessly. After a few seconds, the two gently held his mouth open and helped him drink the potion. Harry choked on some of it, but there was quite a bit that did go down.

It took a few minutes for Harry's sobs to subside. But once they did, he didn't look any better. His eyes had a faraway, haunted look in them, and they were dull. He was still shaking violently in Sirius's arms, while the black-haired man continued to lovingly rock him back and forth.

"Harry," Dumbledore said softly. "What happened, my boy?"

Harry looked at Dumbledore, not wanting to answer. How could he say that touching the cup with Cedric had led his friend right to his death? Seeing Cho screaming, crying, and his friends looking so shocked, had broken him. He knew they'd react like that. Now he'd not only lost one friend, but two. He knew Cho would never be able to talk to him again, and he didn't blame her in the slightest.

"Perhaps it would be better," said Sirius angrily, "if you just shut your mouth, Dumbledore. Do you think Harry wants to talk about what happened?"

Sirius's furious voice only caused Harry to recoil and shake harder, and the man felt truly terrible. He whispered soothing words in Harry's ear while Remus gave his best friend a fierce look.

Harry didn't want to talk about it at all. But knowing Dumbledore needed to know what had happened, he put his wand to his temple and removed a silvery strand of memory. Through his grief and numbness, he seemed to be doing this on autopilot. Dumbledore got out a vial and collected the strand, putting it into his Pensieve. Then he put his head inside it.

Emotions played across the old man's face as he watched what Harry had been through. Agonizing guilt and regret churned inside him as he witnessed the entire confrontation. A pang of desperate sadness squeezed his heart as he heard Crouch speak of his old friend Alastor's death, and a great feeling of self-disgust swept over him as he realized, with a humungous jolt, that he'd been fooled all year. His students, his precious children, had been taught by a vicious, murdering Death Eater the entire year. How could he not have realized that Moody wasn't Moody? he thought, tears filling his eyes. More sorrow entered him as he watched how brave Cedric had been, standing up to Voldemort and fighting for Harry. He actually did weep as he watched Cedric fall, one of the brightest and most helpful students to ever grace the halls of his school. He watched how Harry struggled, and how he demanded to fight Voldemort as well. He could see the desperation in the boy's emerald green eyes as he wished to die like he had just seen his big brother do. He watched as Voldemort cruelly told Harry about Severus revealing the first half of the prophecy.

Then, he saw what had happened with the two wands. Aha, he thought. Priori Incantatem. Brother wands. Another wave of misery swooped over him as he saw Harry's interactions with Cedric, Frank Bryce, Bertha Jorkins, and his parents. His parents, which Dumbledore had also failed because he didn't realize Peter Pettigrew was going behind their backs and betraying them.

Needless to say, as he exited the Pensieve at the end, his face was full of emotion. Motioning to Remus and looking at him intently, he beckoned for the werewolf to go next.

Harry was still snuggled up in Sirius's arms, face still buried in his godfather's robes. Remus felt awful as he witnessed what his cub had been through. All he could do was look on helplessly as Peter hurt him. He watched numbly as Cedric fought and fell. Anger and shock filled him as he learned Severus Snape was the one who had given the prophecy to Voldemort. Albus had never told him. He knew Sirius would be livid when he found this out, and would definitely confront Albus on it.

Remus's mouth gaped open as he saw the Priori Incantatem occur. For one moment, he'd gotten to see Lily and James again. Lily and James had helped and been there for Harry, even in death. His heart cracked when James mentioned to Harry to give him the message that Julia said she was sorry. When he came out of the memory, he had tears in his eyes.

Harry was then moved from Sirius's arms to Remus's, as Sirius was the last one to see the memory. Sirius felt incredible fury and revulsion as he saw his despicable cousin Bellatrix taunt Harry, speaking in that stupid baby voice she always used. The urge to kill Peter was extremely violent as he saw his once best friend cut Harry's arm, and use his blood to help make his evil master stronger. His heart bled for Harry through the entire memory, especially the part when Cedric went down fighting.

Hatred and fury roiled in Sirius's gut as he learned of the truth about Severus Snape. A recklessness seized him, a desire to kill the greasy bastard just like he'd wanted to kill Peter. Snape had sent his best friends to their deaths. And Dumbledore! Sirius had a right mind to pull his godson right out of Hogwarts. Dumbledore had let Snape, the man who had condemned Harry to a life of no parents, teach him for four solid years! He'd never hated the Headmaster so much in his entire life.

Then, what took his breath away was the sight of Voldemort casting Avada Kedavra on Harry, and then the Priori Incantatem. And there, right in front of him, were Lily and James. Now he knew what Harry had meant when he was muttering about his parents. For a moment, he could feel nothing but pure and raw jealousy. Harry had gotten to interact with Lily and James, even though it was only brief. How he wished he had been there too, just to be able to talk to them one last time. He collapsed to his knees upon the ground when Adelina was mentioned, and when James said that he didn't blame him for what happened all those years ago. He was shaking as he came out of the memory, and he collapsed back onto the sofa. "So, Albus," he said quietly, his eyes practically bulging with hatred. "I simply do not believe this. How could you? How the fuck could you make Harry be in the same building as the man who practically killed his parents with his own hands?"

Harry looked at his guardians in shock. "You didn't know it was him?" he whispered brokenly.

"No, because this stupid old man never told us," Sirius snarled.

"Sirius," Dumbledore said quietly. "Just stop and think for a minute. Why do you think I didn't tell you it was Severus who informed Voldemort of the prophecy? I know you very well, and your hatred for Severus Snape reached a terrible height before. I was afraid you'd do something rash if you knew it had been him. That is one regret that Severus has had ever since then, that he condemned Lily and James to death. That is why I trust him so much; the fact that he felt such remorse shows how much he wanted redemption."

Remus picked up Harry and carried him out of the room, knowing that Sirius was about to get into a screaming match with the Headmaster. He didn't want Harry to witness this. "Room of Requirement," he mouthed to his friend before leaving. He carried his adopted son to the Room of Requirement, and he sat down still with him in his arms.

Harry gazed at Remus, a look of hurt and betrayal on his young face. He'd almost forgotten about the whole Sirius and Remus not informing him about the prophecy mess; he'd been so caught up in seeing his parents and watching Cedric die. But now it came back with terrible clarity. "How could you, Remus?" he whispered, breaking free of Remus's hold. "How could you not tell me about the prophecy?"

"Gods, I don't know what to say," Remus said, trying to make eye contact, but Harry kept stubbornly looking to the floor. "Albus thought you were too young to know."

"Too young to know that I probably have to defeat Voldemort?" Harry said bitterly, more tears stinging his eyes. "And you agreed with him, didn't you? You agreed that I was too young to know something about my own life! I was too young to know my parents died just because of me! And you know what? Voldemort made Cedric suffer because I didn't know the prophecy! He tortured him, Remus!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "And I never want to see Snape again, even if Dumbledore does trust him!"

"Harry ..." Remus tried, but Harry didn't listen.

"I don't want to hear it!" he cried. "What does the prophecy say, Remus? I want to know! I want to know why my parents died, I want to know why Voldemort's bloody obsessed with me, I WANT TO KNOW WHY I HAD TO WATCH MY BEST FRIEND DIE TONIGHT!"

"Harry, cub ..."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

"I'm sorry, Harry, but I don't know the prophecy. Lily, James, Frank and Alice Longbottom, and Dumbledore are the only ones who know it in its entirety. They didn't tell us because they wanted to protect us. They didn't want there to be any possibility of Voldemort getting the information from us."

"Then I want Dumbledore to tell me!" Harry sobbed. "And Cedric died because of me! Cho will never speak to me again! What if I end up in Azkaban? The Ministry will think I killed him, won't they?"

"No, of course not!" Remus cried, shocked that Harry would think such a thing. "Why would you even think something like that? I know it's been a terrible, horrific night for you, but Cedric didn't die because of you. It's a shocking tragedy, but it wasn't your fault. And your parents didn't die because of you. I know you don't want to hear it right now, and you won't accept it, but I hope that in time you'll come to realize. And don't even think for a minute that Cedric suffered because you didn't know the prophecy. You know very well that Voldemort would have hurt him anyway. He's evil, Harry. He'll put ideas in your head to make you believe certain things, but I beg you to trust me that those things aren't true. I know you're angry and feeling betrayed by Sirius and I right now, and I don't blame you for feeling that way. But we didn't want to burden you with ..."

"Yeah, like I'm not already a burden," Harry interrupted. "Perhaps it would have been better if I was never born. Then Cedric would still be alive, his parents and Cho would still be happy, and my parents would still be alive! It's my fault, all my fault! I thought I could trust Dumbledore, Sirius, and you, Remus! I thought ..." Burying his face in the soft cushions of the couch, his body heaved up and down with uncontrollable sobs again. Remus tried to take him into his arms, but Harry struggled and yelled, "Get away from me! Don't touch me!" Sadness, regret, and shame poured over Remus as he saw how absolutely betrayed his cub was. Harry was right; he should have been told something about his own life.

Eventually, Harry's struggles subsided and Remus managed to embrace him again. Saying Cedric's name in a broken voice over and over again, Harry cried himself to sleep.

xxx

Back in Dumbledore's office, Sirius had no compunctions anymore to keep himself quiet. He put a Silencing Charm on the room and bellowed at Dumbledore, "Bullshit! You let that monster be in the same room with my godson for four years, what the fuck were you thinking, you bastard? I have a right mind to pull Harry straight out of Hogwarts and away from your evil machinations! You've destroyed him, Albus! No, don't say anything to me! He won't come back to Hogwarts unless he specifically tells us he wants to come back. Remus and I are taking him home tonight, this is the last you'll be seeing of him this year. And by next September, if he wants to return, I want Severus Snape gone. If he isn't, I swear I'll kill him. Now Harry thinks his parents and Cedric died because of him. And you were the one who implored that Remus and I not tell about the prophecy, you practically forced us to agree with you! Now he doesn't trust us anymore, and it's all your fault! And how could you not have realized that Moody was Crouch, you senile twit? My godson was taught by a Death Eater all year! A FUCKING DEATH EATER! And according to what little information I could glean from Harry's memory, Crouch hurt Harry earlier in the year and somehow made him forget about it! I am sure I will be seeing the memory of that soon enough. How could you let things like this go on in your school, Dumbledore? And we almost lost him! If he and Voldemort didn't have brother wands, Harry would have died!" Anger radiating off him in waves, he pointed his wand at Dumbledore, yelling, "Furnunculus!" Boils sprang up all over Dumbledore's face, but the Headmaster did nothing to reprimand the broken Azkaban escapee. Filled with crushing guilt, he watched as Sirius stormed out of the office, ready to join Remus and take Harry home. Everything Sirius said had been true; Dumbledore was getting way too old for this. He thought the Furnunculus Curse was much less than what he deserved.

And when he indeed found the corpse of his dear friend Alastor Moody, with half of his hair cut off, inside the ex-Auror's magical trunk, it was too much to take. Holding Moody close to him, he whispered, "I'm so sorry, old friend." and fell to his knees, tears streaming down his old, wrinkled face.


	40. Struggling to Understand

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Hello all, and thanks for the great feedback! I love reading your predictions and ideas for what is going to happen next! You'll definitely see that some things are going to be different about the whole Umbridge and the Ministry subplot.

Also, I'm so glad that so many of you warmed to Cedric and Cho. I absolutely love Cho, and I felt so sorry for her in canon. In this fic, I am definitely going to have more people there for her. Also, just to let you guys know, there will be no Harry/Cho attempted romance in this fic. My Harry, the way I've written him, would never even think about it, because he was so incredibly close to Cedric. So in this fic he and Cho will just be really good friends and not even try to make it anything more.

I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

Chapter 40: Struggling to Understand

Hermione, Ron, Neville, and Ginny were all in the Gryffindor common room. They were sitting on fluffy couches, feeling completely helpless and awful. Their friend Harry was God knows where, and their other friend Cedric was dead.

It was so hard to comprehend. The atmosphere of joy and anticipation that had hung in the air such a short time ago had been utterly replaced by one of great sadness. Hermione and Ginny were embracing, both sobbing. Neville sat numbly next to them, with Ron across from them, still looking shocked. It was true that Ron hadn't gotten to know Cedric that well, since he hadn't participated in the meetings with the Slytherins the others had had, but he knew that they all were affected. Ron was also extremely concerned for Harry, because he and Cedric had been awfully close. It was true that he had resented Cedric, because he felt that Harry was spending more time with the older boy than with him, but now that resentment didn't seem relevant at all. Guilt plagued him as he thought of how he'd acted.

All the other Gryffindors in the common room were totally silent. Fred, George, and Lee were not joking around; they were far from it. Harry was one of their own, and to see him so broken and devastated was not something they liked at all.

Suddenly, Professor McGonagall walked into the common room, looking very solemn. "Miss Granger, Mr. and Miss Weasley, and Mr. Longbottom," she said quietly. "The Headmaster would like to see you in his office."

"Yes, ma'am," said Neville, and the other three nodded. McGonnagall gave them a sad look as she whispered directions to them as to how to get to the office. Silently, they left the common room.

When they arrived at the office, Cho was already there, sobbing her heart out. She was being embraced by Dumbledore, who looked terribly old and sad. He did not look like the wise mentor the students had so often seen in the past, but instead looked like a man who had just been dealt a terrible blow.

Dumbledore moved away from Cho and went to sit behind his desk. Ginny and Hermione went to sit by her instead, putting their arms around her and letting her sob against them. She looked totally lost and defeated. Cedric, the love of her life, was dead. Twenty-four hours ago they had been holding each other, looking into each other's eyes and promising forever to each other at the senior dance, but now he was gone. She would never forget the look of his lifeless body as he lay there, not moving, not breathing.

"I know," Dumbledore said quietly, "that tonight has been a devastating night for you all. You were close to Cedric, and I think you have the right to know what happened to him and Harry, and how brave they were."

"What about the Diggorys?" Hermione asked tearfully, stroking Cho's silky hair while Ginny rubbed soothing circles on her back comfortingly.

"I informed them already," Dumbledore answered. "They are by Cedric's side, in the hospital wing."

The Headmaster then went on to explain everything that had happened. He explained how when Harry, Cedric, and who everyone thought was Moody had touched the cup, they had been transported to a graveyard. Neville's face was chalk white as he explained how Moody was actually Barty Crouch, Jr. "You mean," he said, his voice quivering, "that we were taught by Barty Crouch all year?"

"I am afraid so, Neville, and I am terribly, terribly sorry," said Dumbledore. He knew this would have a terrible effect on Neville; the fact that he had been taught by one of the people who had tortured his parents to insanity would crush him. Ginny put her arms around him as his body shook violently.

Dumbledore then went on to tell about how Voldemort had returned, and how Harry and Cedric were forced to watch the events as they unfolded right before their eyes. He reported what had happened when all the Death Eaters apparated in. The hardest part was when he informed them that Cedric had fought Voldemort, loyal to Harry to the very end. Cho screamed "Noooo!" when he explained that Cedric had been tortured. He said it as gently as possible, knowing that they had the right to know exactly what their friend had gone through before he died.

"Cedric was a very brave gentleman," the Headmaster said. "But I want to make things clear. I know you all are full of grief, especially you, Miss Chang. I understand and feel your pain, but not for one second do I want you to blame Harry. Sirius and Remus have decided to keep him home for the rest of the year; he is totally inconsolable right now. The guilt he feels is huge, and he needs all of you to stand beside him through this."

Everyone nodded, Ron looking extremely serious while the others raised tear-streaked faces to Dumbledore.

The old man ended his tale with how Harry and Voldemort's wands had performed Priori Incantatem when they tried to go against each other. Cho shook uncontrollably and sobbed even harder as he told everyone about Cedric's ghost coming out of the wand, and he gently told Cho that he had said he loved her. The others did their best to hold back tears as he explained how Harry had seen his parents, and how they, Bertha, Frank, and Cedric had helped him escape.

"There, there, Cho, take a deep breath," Hermione soothed, finding it hard to keep back her own sobs. Neville's face was still white from the news that Barty Crouch Jr. had taught them all year.

"P-P-Professor, h-how could this have h-happened?" Cho wept as she turned streaming eyes to the old man. "W-Why did this happen? WHY?" she screamed. "It isn't fair!"

"Has Harry already left?" asked Ron shakily. "Where is he?"

"He's already gone, Mr. Weasley," said Dumbledore softly. "And I don't know why this happened, Miss Chang. I know this is far from fair. But I hope you can take comfort in the fact that Mr. Diggory was a very brave and wonderful young man. I hope that in time, you can remember him with fondness."

"I w-want to say g-goodbye," Cho hiccuped, doing her best to get herself under control.

"I'm not sure that is the best idea," said Ginny. "We shouldn't bother the Diggorys."

"I know, but I want to see him!" Cho said urgently.

"Professor?" asked Hermione, her eyes asking for permission. "I'd like to see him too. I-I think we all need some kind of closure."

"Yes," Cho agreed. "I m-mean, I don't want to b-bother the Diggorys and their private time, though."

Dumbledore looked at the group seriously. "Maybe one at a time," he said quietly. "The Diggorys don't want to be overwhelmed by people right now. But I understand that you want to receive some closure. I know he was a friend to almost all of you."

"Thank you, Professor," Neville said sincerely. "Is it really true that Professor Moody's dead?"

"I am afraid it is," said Dumbledore somberly. "He is also in the hospital wing. Is everyone ready?"

"Yes, sir," the five nodded numbly, and in a solemn line, they walked to the hospital wing.

"Mr. Weasley, you can go first," said Dumbledore gently. The other four waited outside as Ron and Dumbledore stepped into the wing. They heard the soft sound of crying coming from their right, and they walked to the bed where the sound was emanating from. Dumbledore gently parted the curtains, and Ron got a look at Cedric.

His eyes were closed now; one of his parents must have closed them for him. Mr. and Mrs. Diggory were holding their son's hands. Mrs. Diggory was quietly sobbing, one arm around her husband who was also weeping. Dumbledore softly explained to them what was going on, and they nodded, understanding that Cedric's friends needed closure.

Ron felt a little shaky as he stared at Cedric, struggling to grasp the finality of what had transpired. "I'm sorry, mate," was the only thing he said. Indeed, he was sincerely sorry for the way he had treated the older boy; he was sorry that he hadn't really given him a chance.

After a couple of minutes, Ron walked out of the room. Hermione, Ginny, and Neville were next respectively, and they all thanked Cedric for being such a good friend. Hermione expressed gratitude that he had shown them what true bravery and loyalty was, and thanked him for being there for Harry right to the bitter end.

Cho was last, and of course, it was hardest for her. She kissed Cedric's lips, her tears dripping onto his lifeless face. "I love you, Cedric," she wept. "Always and forever. I'll never forget you." She wished everyone's love would bring him back. She'd give anything to see him open his eyes again.

"Cho," Mrs. Diggory said gently, embracing her as she continued to hold her son's hand. "Amos and I just want to thank you for making the last year of my son's life so wonderful. Ced talked about you all the time. He really loved you, you know. By the way he spoke, we knew you were special."

Cho clung to Mrs. Diggory, saying, "Thank you," in a shaky voice. "I loved him too."

"We know, honey," Mrs. Diggory said. Mr. Diggory also hugged her, letting her know that she could always talk to them if she needed them. Giving her beloved boyfriend one last kiss, Cho left the hospital wing.

"Thank you for explaining everything, professor," Ginny said softly as she stared into the Headmaster's gentle eyes. The others nodded, and they all began to head back. Dumbledore gazed after them as they went.

"Tell you what, Cho," Hermione said. "How about Ginny and I stay with you tonight, in the Room of Requirement?"

"Are you s-sure?" Cho asked. To be completely honest, she couldn't stand the thought of going back to her common room and facing people like Marietta. She'd always thought that the girls in her dorm didn't understand the love she had with Cedric. They were so superficial, only caring about going shopping and grades, and Cho had to admit disgustedly that she had been the same way before she'd met him. But Cedric had really shown her what other things could be achieved in life. Marietta was the one friend she had in Ravenclaw who at least tried to understand, but Cho still didn't feel like dealing with her tonight. Ginny and Hermione had also been good friends with Cedric, and she really needed their understanding and comfort right now.

"Of course we're sure," said Hermione reassuringly. Cho managed a watery, grateful smile at them. So they headed to the Room of Requirement while Ron and Neville headed back to Gryffindor Tower.

xxx

Dumbledore was still at Cedric's bedside, talking quietly to his parents. Mrs. Diggory was now stroking Cedric's face, and sometimes she spoke quietly to him. But this atmosphere was broken as the hospital wing door suddenly banged open, and Cornelius Fudge stormed in.

"Dumbledore, I need a word with you," he blustered, strolling over to the Headmaster. He took a look at Cedric and turned away.

"Very well, Cornelius," Dumbledore sighed, knowing that he owed the Minister an explanation of the events that had happened tonight.

In Madame Pomfrey's office, he explained once again the ordeal that had taken place this evening. Fudge listened, his face growing redder and redder. "If you'd like, Cornelius, I can show you the memory," Dumbledore said.

"Are you sure Potter saw what you think he saw, Dumbledore?" asked Fudge. "You-Know-Who can't possibly be back. I admit, I don't think Potter killed Diggory; I think that part of his story is true. They may have been captured by Death Eaters, for I saw them disappear with the cup with my own eyes. But I don't think You-Know-Who was one of them."

"Cornelius," said Dumbledore, looking stern. "I know you are under the impression that there is no spell or potion to restore a dark wizard to full power, but I can assure you that there is."

"Bollocks," said Fudge, shaking his head. "I know he was seen at the Quidditch World Cup, but that was only in his deformed state. What magic is this of which you speak, Dumbledore? I have never seen any dark spell that can help a wizard regain his true form after being reduced to what You-Know-Who was reduced to."

"Cornelius, I am assuring you that there is," Dumbledore said softly, his eyes piercing into Fudge's. "If you refuse to take action, if you refuse to believe the truth, then I do not know what to say to you. You know that many Death Eaters escaped Azkaban this year. You know of the events at the Quidditch World Cup. You know that Alastor Moody is dead."

"Headmaster, you know that Potter is a disturbed child. You know of the atrocities that were committed against him by his uncle! Do you not think that those things, coupled with what he has seen tonight with watching a good friend die, have messed up his brain? He may be doing this to get attention. I can understand why he would be doing such a thing."

"Again, Cornelius, I can let you see the memory," said Dumbledore, trying his hardest to clamp down the anger he was starting to feel. This man was too blinded by his position to see the truth. He knew Cornelius was trying to deny it, because he didn't want to cause the wizarding population to go into a panic.

"Pensieve memories can be tampered with, and you know it," Fudge said stubbornly, shaking his head again.

"Do you really think, that with all the grief and heartache Harry suffered tonight, that he'd possibly have the time to tamper with a horrific memory?" Dumbledore said, his fury starting to come through. His blue eyes were blazing now, and Fudge shivered a little. It had been a while since he'd seen Albus Dumbledore look like that at him.

"You know what the boy is capable of," Fudge blustered, looking agitated.

"Well, if you refuse to acknowledge the truth, I doubt I will be able to convince you," Dumbledore sighed, exhaustion beginning to take over his body. "All I can say is that you know the events that have taken place this year. Put them together and you will see the truth." He'd lost a very bright student, Cedric, and a good friend, Alastor, tonight, and all he wanted to do was sleep and not wake up for years. "If you will not inform the wizarding community, I am afraid we have reached a parting of the ways. You will act as you see fit, and I will act as I see fit."

"The wizarding community will think you're barking!" said Fudge, his face turning red again. "Do you really think they'll listen to you, after hearing that in your very school a tragedy like this took place? As I have already stated, I do believe that they were captured by Death Eaters, but You-Know-Who? It's just not possible."

"It was Voldemort, Cornelius," said Dumbledore quietly, power radiating off him, even though he was getting more and more tired by the minute. "And Harry Potter was almost subjected to the same fate as his friend. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go back to my office."

"Very well," said Fudge angrily. "I can see that you are going to be as obstinate as ever." He left Madame Pomfrey's office, muttering to himself about how Albus Dumbledore was going to turn into a real laughingstock throughout the wizarding world.

The Headmaster took a few minutes to collect himself, and then went back to Cedric's side. "I must tell you once again, Amos, Eileen," he said sadly, "how sincerely sorry I am that this tragedy took place."

"I should hope you are," Amos snarled, his face growing fierce. Still holding Cedric's hand tightly, he got to his feet. "I can't believe you'd let such an occurrence happen! Leave us be, Dumbledore. We want time alone with Ced. It's the least you can offer us, when our son's death was the result of your negligence."

"Very well," Dumbledore replied, the picture of defeat. How many more people were going to get angry with him? He'd had Sirius Black and Amos Diggory's tempers unleashed upon him, along with the pure idiocy of Cornelius Fudge. Sighing, he took one last glance at the handsome and heroic Cedric Diggory before slowly making his way out of the hospital wing, closing the door softly behind him. He could only take comfort in the fact that even though Fudge didn't believe Voldemort had returned to full power now, he wouldn't be able to ignore the facts for long. The escape of the Death Eaters from Azkaban and the events of the Quidditch World Cup, coupled with the kidnapping of the two boys from Hogwarts grounds, were events he could not deny had happened.

He knew that recovery from this ordeal would take a lot of time. He also knew that sooner or later, Harry would want to know the entire contents of the prophecy. He knew that there was no way he could deny the boy this request; after all, it was about his life, and after what he had faced tonight, he had the right to know. He hoped that Harry would regain his trust in Sirius and Remus, and that he would begin to heal from this experience. He also sincerely hoped that he wouldn't receive any blame or flak from Cedric's death. That was the last thing the fourteen-year-old boy needed after surviving this tragedy.

When he got to his office, he opened another door contained within that led to his bedchambers. As he settled down to sleep that night, he knew that the following years would be trying ones. Voldemort would one day show himself, and news of his return would be out in the open. A second war was going to be upon them, and he wished that his students, especially Harry, didn't have to bear it. But he hoped with all his heart that Harry knew he wouldn't have to go through it alone, that he'd have people there to help him and be there for him whatever happened. His last thought was of Cedric's smiling face as he walked the halls with Harry, and he silently prayed that the seventeen-year-old would receive rewards on his next great adventure for being such a wonderful friend.


	41. The Prophecy Revealed

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thanks so much for the excellent reviews! I'm so glad you are all still enjoying my efforts!

In answer to one of my reviewers, I'm afraid I can't tell you whether I'm going to kill off Sirius or Remus. But I can tell you that if I do, it won't be like in canon. No falls through veils, folks. I can promise you that.

Okay, here's the next chapter!

Chapter 41: The Prophecy Revealed

As they had done the first night Harry came to stay with them, Sirius and Remus stayed by his side as he slept. The poor boy didn't sleep peacefully, either. It seemed that every few minutes, he would scream "Noooo! Cedric! Nooooo!" and wrestle with the bedcovers. It took a supreme effort for his two guardians to try to calm him each time, and every time they managed it, it was only about five minutes until it happened again. Sirius and Remus imagined that Harry kept seeing the green light rushing towards his friend, and he couldn't do anything about it.

During one of the times when he was quiet, Sirius softly said to Remus, "We've failed him, Moony."

"I know, Padfoot," Remus answered sadly. "We have."

"I mean, I'm furious with Dumbledore," Sirius continued, "but I'm furious with myself too. It's easy to have someone to blame, you know? It's easier to blame Dumbledore. But I know deep down that it was really our fault. How could we not have seen what was right in front of our eyes? I mean, we knew something was up when his name first came out of the goblet. We swore to him that Voldemort would never touch him."

"I know we did, and I despise the fact that he was taken to him right under our noses and we didn't do anything."

"How are we going to help him through this, Moony? How are we going to help him get over Cedric's death? They were best friends, like brothers. What are we going to do?"

"We can only take it one day at a time, Padfoot. one thing I've learned when people are in grief is that their moods can dramatically change from one minute to the next. He may snap at us, but you mustn't get angry with him. He already feels really betrayed by us as it is, with the whole prophecy thing."

"Didn't we tell Albus that us not telling him about it would blow up in our faces one day? But the stubborn codger didn't listen," Sirius growled, his face growing angry again. "What's it going to take for him to regain his trust in us?"

"Honestly, I don't know. We just have to be there for him, that's all we can do."

"And Lily and James," Sirius choked, his face turning to one full of sadness. "They helped him. Can you believe it? I always knew they'd look out for him, though. I can't get over seeing them again."

"I know," Remus said, his face reflecting Sirius's. "If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have him here with us. Thank Merlin for them, thank Merlin."

"Nooooo! Cedric! No, Voldemort, please! Don't kill Cedric!" Harry's panicky voice drew them out of their conversation. It was time for them to try to comfort him once again.

xxx

By the time morning sunlight hit their faces, Sirius and Remus had not gotten any sleep. They'd spent the entire night listening to Harry's horrific nightmares, and their emotions were frazzled. It had been heartbreaking to hear Harry's moans for his friend. There had also been times when he'd mutter things like, "Mr. Diggory, Mrs. Diggory, Cho, please forgive me ..." and tears had even trickled down his face. Therefore, when he finally began to stir, they immediately tried to soothe him awake, just like they had done the first morning he had been in their care.

Harry opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was the sunlight streaming in through the window. At first he felt comforted, but he immediately got to wondering why there was a warm weight on either side of him. Sirius and Remus knew the exact moment when the agonizing, crushing grief and guilt came back to him. Harry tensed up, and his whole face went white and he began to shake. "Oh, Merlin, no," he cried. "I killed him."

His two guardians immediately tried to tell him he didn't, but Harry wouldn't buy it. Curling up into a little ball, he tried his best to stop the tears. But all the guilt weighing down on him, the horrific memory of watching his big brother die, was all too much for him. Every other person who was now going to die because of Voldemort's next reign of terror would be dead because of him, too. He had helped Voldemort return. How many people's deaths would be on his conscience by the time this war was over? Nausea exploded inside him, and he sat up suddenly, his face turning green. Sirius and Remus immediately knew what was about to happen, and Sirius conjured a bucket. Harry proceeded to throw up everything that was in his stomach. When he'd finished, his body was shaking uncontrollably and he could hardly breathe.

"Harry, please calm down, pup. You're hyperventilating," Sirius said gently, feeling helpless as the one boy he'd sworn to care for let out loud, racking sobs. He took Harry into his arms while Remus did his best to get him to take deep breaths.

Eventually, he calmed, but the tears still ran unchecked down his cheeks. Cedric's lifeless body falling to the ground, his eyes staring unblinkingly up at the sky, played in his head over and over again. The image just would not stop. He put his hands over his eyes, but even that didn't help. He lay in Sirius's arms and seemed to cry forever, and all he and Remus could do was try to soothe him.

Once he had stopped, Remus said gently, "Cub, we think it would be best if you got up and tried to eat something." They knew that this was a battle that would be hard to win. When Remus had first found out about James and Lily's deaths, Sirius's imprisonment and Peter's so-called "death", he hadn't wanted to eat anything. He hadn't even wanted to get up in the morning. But he knew that in a way, it was even worse for Harry, because the boy felt that last night's events had been his fault.

"No," Harry said dully. "I don't want to."

"Come on, kiddo," Sirius tried. "It'll only make you feel worse if you lie here all day."

"Who cares anymore?" Harry mumbled miserably.

"We do," Sirius said immediately. "We care about you more than you'll ever know."

"You have a funny way of showing it," Harry muttered into his pillow. "I want to see Professor Dumbledore."

Sirius and Remus tried not to be stung by Harry's comment. "Why?" Remus asked.

"Why do you think?" Harry asked, a tinge of anger coming through into his voice. "So he can tell me about the prophecy."

"Cub," Remus tried, "are you sure you want to know right now? Last night was a terrible ordeal, and ..."

"OF COURSE I DO!" Harry yelled, wrenching himself out of Sirius's arms and sitting up. "IT's MY BLOODY LIFE! Last night was already bad enough, why can't we just get all the bad news done and over with? First Cedric is dead because of me, then I find out my parents died just because I was born ..."

"Harry, your parents sacrificed themselves to keep you safe," Remus protested. "And I know how Lily and James were. They gave their all to protect you. Not for one second did they resent having to do so."

"But they still died just because I was born!" Harry screamed. "And Voldemort returned with my bloody help! Do you know how many people will probably die now because he's back? EVERY SINGLE DEATH WILL BE MY FAULT!" Breathing hard, he glowered at his guardians. "At least tell me what my fate is, what I have to do to defeat him!"

Sirius and Remus tried their absolute hardest to get Harry to reconsider seeing Dumbledore now, but the stubborn boy just wouldn't budge. Eventually, with heavy hearts and deep sighs, they knew that the only thing to do was contact Dumbledore. After all, he had the right to know the prophecy. Waiting, in this instance, wasn't going to do any good. They had tried to get Harry to at least wait a day or two, but Harry just shouted at them that they were still trying to hide the truth from him.

Knowing that it was probably the wrong thing to do but feeling completely hopeless and at a loss of how to help their boy, Sirius and Remus went to the fireplace and contacted the Headmaster. Sirius was still furious with him, and didn't like to think about what he might do if he was left alone in a room with him. His nerves were completely on edge as the old man's head popped up in the fireplace.

He frowned deeply when he saw it was Sirius and Remus. When they told him Harry was refusing to do anything until he heard the prophecy, his frown grew even deeper. Looking sadder and older than he ever had before, he came through the fire into 804, Lawdershod Avenue.

When the three of them went into Harry's room, the boy's anger seemed to have subsided. What Remus had said about mood swings was definitely true; now he just looked defeated, sitting with his shoulders hunched and his hands at his sides.

"Harry, are you sure this is the right time for you to know the prophecy? I really hate to burden you with such a thing," Dumbledore said gently as he placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Harry said in a monotone. "I want to know what it is."

"Sirius, Remus, since you are his guardians now," Dumbledore said somberly, "how do you feel about learning the entire contents of it?"

"Please tell us, so we can do everything possible to help Harry prepare," Sirius said.

Harry looked at Sirius with haunted eyes. "But if you two know it," he said, his voice getting panicky again, "what if Voldemort tries to get it out of you? He'll kill you if you don't tell him, but not without torturing you first!"

"Harry, we are your guardians, cub," Remus said softly. "It's our responsibility to keep you safe. And Sirius and I don't regret having that responsibility for a second. We'd rather get hurt ourselves than see you hurt."

Harry flinched violently. "That's what Cedric said too," he whispered defeatedly. "But I guess I should get used to people suffering or dying because of me."

The three adults remained quiet, hoping that one of these days, Harry would stop thinking that. Remus knew that in the future, intense therapy sessions would be needed. It seemed like the entire world had shattered around Harry's feet. If the werewolf didn't do something about it, Harry might do something rash. Remus remembered when James had gone into his deep depression after accidentally killing Dennis Booth, and he never wanted to see Harry like that. Maybe the thing that would make him feel better would be to see people like Cho or the Diggorys. Harry would probably refuse violently, but if they told him again and again that Cedric's death wasn't his fault, it might finally sink in. Dealing with something of this magnitude was going to be extremely difficult.

"There's nothing I can do though, is there?" Harry sighed. "I know I won't be able to argue with you. I guess you'll just have to know it."

"Harry, we love you, kiddo," Sirius said, holding Harry's left hand while Remus held his right. They held their breath, wondering how Harry would respond, but the boy did absolutely nothing.

"Harry, my boy," Dumbledore said quietly. "We're all here for you. Once you learn this prophecy, we're going to do everything we can to help you prepare. I know you feel helpless, alone, sad, depressed, and angry right now, and I know that me telling you that last night wasn't your fault isn't going to get through to you right now. But at least know that we're going to try to help you smile again. All right?"

Harry just nodded numbly, his eyes gazing fixedly upon Dumbledore's wizened face.

"If you're ready, then, I shall begin," Dumbledore said tiredly, and Harry felt a squeeze on each hand from his guardians.

"A few months before you were born," the Headmaster explained, "I had an appointment with Sybill Trelawney. I have never been much of a believer in Divination, but the school governors believe very strongly that that subject needs to be taught. My meeting with her had just finished, and I did not recognize any extraordinary gift in her.

"But suddenly, as she was leaving, her face changed," Dumbledore went on. "And she began speaking in a voice that wasn't her own. Are you ready, Harry?"

The boy nodded.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches," he said slowly. "Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies. That first half of the prophecy was told to the Order and to Voldemort and his supporters."

"Yeah, Crouch told me," said Harry.

"Yeah, because Snivellus just happened to hear it," Sirius snarled.

"Sirius." Dumbledore gave him a warning look. "The second half of the prophecy is what no one besides myself, your parents, and Neville's parents know."

"Why Neville's parents?" Harry asked.

"Because," Dumbledore answered, "there were two potential babies born at the end of July whose parents had thrice defied Voldemort."

"And that ... that other baby was Neville?"

"Yes."

"Well, why can't the prophecy be talking about Neville, then?" Harry asked.

"Because of what the second half says, Harry," the Headmaster said gently. "It says: And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he shall have power the Dark Lord knows not. And either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives. When Voldemort gave you that scar, Harry, he marked you as his equal. And I believe the power that you have that Voldemort knows not is your capacity to love."

The three others in the room remained silent, taking in what Dumbledore had said. Finally Harry whispered, "Does that mean ... does that mean Voldemort has to kill me, or I have to kill Voldemort for this war to end?"

The look on Dumbledore's face said it all, and Harry's expression became even more blank. "I have to train," he suddenly said.

"Harry ..." Sirius started.

"No, Sirius," Harry said, his voice growing louder and his face finally taking on a fierce expression. "I have to train. I won't let anyone else die because of me. I have to learn new spells. I always somehow knew that I had to be the one to kill Voldemort. I guess this just confirmed it."

"Harry, are you okay, cub?" Remus asked, trying to put his arm around him, but Harry flinched away from the touch.

"I guess I'm fine as anyone could be who learns they have to murder or be murdered," Harry sighed.

"Harry, my boy, I am terribly sorry," Dumbledore said sadly. "I know this is an enormous, heavy burden for you to bear. This is the last thing I ever wanted to tell you."

"How long would it have been before you told me?" Harry asked, looking up at Dumbledore. "If Crouch and Voldemort hadn't told me about it, when would you have said anything? The day of the final battle?"

Dumbledore looked at the boy solemnly, the boy who he loved as his own grandson. "We only wanted to give you a childhood," he said gently.

"Well, that ended when my uncle did what he did to me," Harry said, the haunted look still prominent in his eyes. "And last night I had to watch Cedric die."

"I know, and I cannot apologize enough for how negligent I was about not seeing that something was terribly wrong at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said.

"You can't have known," Harry said.

"Harry, he's supposed to be looking after you while you're in his care!" Sirius said angrily.

"He still couldn't have known," Harry argued. "I wish you had told me I have to kill one of the most powerful wizards in the world, though."

There was nothing the three of them could say to console him. All Dumbledore could do was lock eyes with the terribly burdened boy in front of him.

Finally, Harry mumbled, "Why did you let Snape teach at Hogwarts?" His facial expression was now one of betrayal.

"Harry, I think it is best that I do not explain the full story right now," Dumbledore said gently. "I know you won't believe it at this moment, but all I can say is that Severus made a terrible mistake, and he feels incredible remorse for his actions." Sirius snorted at this remark and Dumbledore gave him a pointed look.

Harry sighed miserably, wanting to argue, but he didn't have the energy.

Then, Dumbledore said heavily, "I know you won't want to hear this, my boy, but it is my duty to tell you. Cedric's funeral will be next Sunday."

"Oh," said Harry glumly. "I'm guessing the Diggorys won't want the boy who killed their son there?"

"Harry, you didn't kill him!" Sirius said pleadingly.

"I might not have cast the curse, but I still killed him," Harry said stubbornly. "If only I'd taken the cup alone, he wouldn't be dead."

"You were only trying to be fair," Dumbledore said soothingly. "And of course the Diggorys want you there. They are full of grief about losing their son, but they do not blame you, my boy. They are grateful that you brought his body back to them."

Harry looked shocked. "They want me to come?" he said in a small voice.

"They said it wouldn't be right if you didn't," Dumbledore assured him. "After all, they said Cedric talked about you all the time. They knew how close you two were."

Harry sighed. "I guess I have to go then," he muttered.

Dumbledore nodded. "Another thing I must explain to you, Harry, is what happened with yours and Voldemort's wands last night."

Harry shuddered at the new batch of images that flooded his brain: Cedric, Bertha, the old man from his dream, and his parents' ghosts coming out of the Dark Lord's wand and helping him escape.

"What occurred is called Priori Incantatem," Dumbledore explained softly. "You and Voldemort have brother wands. When both wands cast a spell at the same time, this will be the result."

Dawning comprehension flashed in Harry's eyes. "Mr. Ollivander," he said. "He said something about our wands being brothers."

"Yes," the Headmaster said. "Also, I must tell you that the Minister does not believe Voldemort's return."

"Oh God," Harry cried, his face growing white. "Does he believe I killed Cedric? Am I on the next boat to Azkaban?"

Dumbledore stared at the grief-stricken boy sadly. "No, child, he believes that you were captured by Death Eaters, but he does not think Voldemort was able to return to full power," he said solemnly. "I even offered to show him the memory, but he refused to see it. You see, there is a way that memories can be tampered with. Usually, one can tell when this has happened, but over the years, it has become more difficult to tell because of the advancement in spells and potions." Seeing Harry's expression of continued misery, he reassured, "But I need you to know that I believe every word you said last night. Sirius, Remus, myself, and your friends know that you were not lying."

Harry sighed, head in his hands. "Do you think the Minister will ever believe me?"

"There will come a day," Dumbledore said, "when the truth is known. But until then, please know that the ones that care most about you are on your side, all right?"

Harry nodded glumly, sighing again.

"And now, I must go. You have taken in a lot of information today, Harry, and I must tell you once more how utterly sorry I am that you have to bear this. But you're not alone, my boy. We'll all be there to help you."

Without being able to help it, tears came to Harry's eyes once again. Dumbledore, Sirius, and Remus embraced him while he sobbed against them. Then the Headmaster left him in the care of his guardians, hoping that the boy would mend. As sad as Cedric's funeral would be, he hoped Harry would learn that the Diggorys, Cho, and his other friends didn't blame him. They were grief-stricken, yes, but they understood Harry's pain as well, and were going to do all they could to help.

"Merlin bless you, Harry Potter," Dumbledore whispered as he picked up a pinch of floo powder and travelled back to the sad and subdued Hogwarts.


	42. Honoring a Hero

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Wow guys! I couldn't be happier with the response to the last chapter! I am really touched by all your words of encouragement, and I will definitely keep posting this story! In reassurance to my one reviewer who expressed relief at no falling through veils of any of our beloved characters, don't worry. I assure you that that won't happen! As for the reviewers who are worried about me killing off Sirius or Remus, please don't worry so. Even if I do kill either of them, it won't be for a long, long time yet. Believe me, I love them as much as you do.

There is a Harry and Cho friendship scene in this chapter which I hope you will enjoy. As I said before, Cho and Cedric are two of my favorites, and they were actually my favorite romantic relationship in canon. I'm so glad that all of you liked how I portrayed them, and I really hope you like the scene between Harry and Cho in this chapter.

Okay, here goes!

Chapter 42: Honoring a Hero

The next week passed slowly for Harry and his two guardians. It was a struggle for the teen to get up each morning, but with their coaxing, he finally did. However, his mood was unhappy and lethargic, and he dreaded Sunday. That day would be Cedric's funeral, and he didn't want to imagine everyone's grief-stricken faces. But he didn't want to let the Diggorys down; he'd done enough to them as it was, so he owed them big-time.

On Sunday morning, Harry dressed in fancy robes, and he hardly ate anything for breakfast. Sirius and Remus had to struggle to get him to eat even a mouthful.

When it was time to go, the three of them apparated to the church. Cedric's parents lived very near the Weasleys, and Harry wished more than anything that none of this had ever happened and he was just going to spend a happy day at the Burrow. His guardians put protective arms around him as they joined the somber line of people walking into the church.

What Harry saw as he walked along broke his heart. He saw Cho, her face streaked with tears and dark circles under her eyes. She was being guided gently by her parents, who were looking at their daughter with heartbreak and sadness. Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, Ginny, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and Neville and a woman who looked like his grandmother were also there. A lot of Hufflepuffs were present also, including Cedric's dormmates. There were a lot of unfamiliar people too, probably more of Cedric's friends and family. The seventeen-year-old had been loved by everybody. Harry even saw some of the Slytherins from S.A.N.E there; Helena, the first year which they had become close to, was present, looking very sad. No one talked; they all walked into the church with very serious expressions.

The church was completely packed. Everyone continued to walk until they got to where Cedric was laid out. There would be a viewing before the funeral, so that people could say goodbye to him one last time. His parents were already there, tenderly holding their son's hands. Cedric lay in the casket, his good looks still evident. He was dressed in fancy dress robes.

Music was softly playing in the church, and as people passed Cedric's body, they'd throw little trinkets into the casket. Harry's heart broke as he saw a tearful Cho put a picture of the two of them in his limp hand, and in the picture his eyes were filled with life, love, and laughter. It had been taken at their senior dance only twenty-four hours before he died. There were also many other pictures of him looking relaxed and content. The casket was also covered in flowers, every different kind you could imagine. When Harry got to the casket, he felt his own tears beginning to sting his eyes. Sirius and Remus held him firmly, because they could see that Harry's knees were trying not to buckle. Harry dropped a S.A.N.E badge into the coffin, remembering how compassionate Cedric had been with the Slytherins. He touched the boy's hand, and immediately jerked away. It was so lifeless and cold, he couldn't bear it. The Cedric he'd known had been so alive, he wasn't meant to look like this!

After a few minutes, it was time to sit down. Harry could still see Cedric lying in the casket from where he sat with Sirius on one side and Remus on the other. He didn't dare approach his friends; he didn't want to see their reactions to him. He could see Hermione and Ginny giving him worried glances, and he wondered why they even cared.

The organ was playing a slow, somber song, and he sat with his head down so he wouldn't have to see people's faces or Cedric's mahogany casket anymore. This isn't fair at all, Harry thought miserably. Cedric had so much to live for.

After the organ music was over, the Minister said, "Good morning. We are here today to celebrate the life of Cedric Diggory, a seventeen-year-old who was a beautiful person. He touched many lives, and today you will hear accounts of the impact he had on people. Let us pray."

He said a prayer, and Sirius and Remus held Harry's hands. A hymn was sung, and Harry tried to sing as well through the lump in his throat.

Mrs. Diggory got up to speak next. Her husband was too much of an emotional wreck to give a speech, so Eileen did it for him. She spoke of many moments during Cedric's life, and what a positive, happy person he had been. "Amos and I were so blessed that we got the time with him that we did," she said, wiping tears from her eyes. "He was brave and loyal, right to the very end. He always wanted to make us proud of him, and we always have been. Our Cedric died a hero, and we want to honor him. I also thank Harry Potter, a brave young man who risked everything to bring him back to us. We want to honor him as well." Breaking down into sobs, she stumbled back to the pew and sat next to her husband.

Harry buried his face in Remus's robes, a choked sob racking his body. How could Mrs. Diggory be honoring him when her son was dead because of him?

Cedric's dormmates were next to speak. They described some of the wonderful things they had gotten up to, causing some tearful laughter to come from the crowd. Harry could hear Cho's sobs from a few seats away. She had Hermione on one side of her and Ginny on the other, with Mr. and Mrs. Chang sitting very close by. The redhead and the bushy-haired girl were also weeping, but doing their best to comfort their bawling friend.

After another hymn, Harry was shocked as Neville Longbottom got up. He looked extremely nervous, and he cleared his throat a couple of times before speaking in a quiet but clear voice.

"I will never forget Cedric Diggory," he said. "He showed us that friendships can definitely stand the test of time. My friends and I got to know him rather well this year, and he became a good mate. Harry, Ginny, Hermione, Cho, and I talked to the Slytherins with him every week. Cedric believed very strongly, as do we, in the concept of house unity. We wanted to make the Slytherins feel less ostracized and more welcome at Hogwarts. We hope that we can continue this in the years to come to honor his memory. He is a true hero, and I'll never forget him. He will be missed, and I swear, You-Know-Who will pay for what he did to him." he said tearfully. A few people in the church began to murmur; it was obvious that quite a few didn't believe the news that Voldemort had returned.

After one more hymn, the service was over. Harry wondered why Cho hadn't spoken, but looking up, he could see exactly why. She was crying too hard to speak; her eyes were red and puffy and her heart was in total agony. Harry had never seen anyone cry so hard before. This had broken her, and he felt another huge pang of guilt slice through his body.

Mr. Diggory and some of Cedric's muscular Hufflepuff friends carried his heavy casket. It was closed now, and everyone started filing out of the church and to the cemetery where he would be buried. The grave diggers had already dug a hole, and the Minister began to speak again as the casket was placed inside it, and it began to lower into the ground. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust," he said softly. "May Merlin bless you, Cedric Diggory, and may you forever be rewarded in eternal rest." Sobs were heard all around as people said goodbye for the last time. Mrs. Diggory blew her son a last kiss. "I love you, sweetie," she whispered. Harry once again buried his face in Remus's robes; he couldn't bear to witness anymore.

Suddenly, an agonized, keening wail of heartwrenching pain was heard. "Nooooo!" Then footsteps were running away from the scene.

"Cho! Cho! Come back!" Hermione called, but Cho disappeared.

"I need to go after her," Harry told Sirius and Remus. "I can't take this. I'm probably the last person she wants to see right now, but she needs someone with her." He couldn't bear to see her cry anymore without at least saying he was sorry. Sirius and Remus, knowing they could do nothing to stop him when he was on a mission, gave him worried glances as he went after her.

Eventually, after a few minutes, he found her. She was sitting by another headstone, tears streaming down her face and sobs shaking her body. Not knowing what else to do, Harry put his arms around her. Cho was stiff at first, but finally, she leaned into the embrace, her endless tears soaking Harry's robes. "I LOVED HIM! IT'S NOT FAIR!" her muffled voice screamed. Harry just held her until her sobs subsided. When there were no more tears left to shed, Harry looked at her stricken face.

"He loved you too," he said softly. "He told me to tell you that."

Cho remained silent, and Harry wondered why she wasn't screaming at him to go away. Instead, she kept her arms around him.

"Dumbledore told me," she finally whispered. "H-He told me how brave he was." After a few seconds of silence, she whispered, "Thank you."

"For what?" Harry said, shocked.

"For bringing him back to us, for not leaving him alone there," Cho replied, sniffling.

"Cho, it's the least I could've done after what happened," said Harry. "It's all my fault."

"No, it's not," Cho said at once. "I admit, it's easy to have someone to blame, but it wouldn't be fair if I took it out on you. Harry, you're still my best friend. I guess the two of us will just have to miss him together, huh?"

Harry felt overwhelmed. The lump in his throat was back, and soon, he found himself weeping in her arms. Unfortunately, this started her off again, but at least they were able to comfort each other.

"Cedric adored you, you know," Cho said, smiling sadly as they finally drew away from the embrace. "He thought of you like a little brother. He told me once that he'd do anything to protect you. He felt awful that you were forced into the tournament, and he was always talking about what he had done to help you with the tasks. And I know he wouldn't want you to blame yourself. He'd want you to laugh, smile, and live again, too. I know it's hard right now; it's hard for me, too. I don't think I'll ever find someone like him again, but it's not your fault, and I know how completely furious he'd be with me if I abandoned you. I know he'd want us to remember him with fondness." She gave him another sad smile. "Thanks for being there for me, Harry."

"You, too," Harry replied softly. "Thanks for helping me, too. At least we've got each other. Do you reckon he's playing Quidditch now?" he tried to joke.

"He's probably beating the heck out of another Seeker, if I know him," Cho let out a sound which was between a giggle and a sob.

Then, Harry saw Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Ron, Fred, and George come over to him, along with Mr. and Mrs. Diggory and his guardians. No words were exchanged between them; no words were needed. Harry realized that he hadn't interacted with his other friends at all today, but right now there was nothing to say. There were just hugs all around, and Mrs. Diggory, through her tears, gave him a soft smile.

"Ced was always saying how much he cared for you, Harry," she said. "I'd give anything to have him still here with us, but I know that he died fighting for you. And if there was anyone he wanted to fight for, it was you, Harry." She held out her arms and embraced the messy-haired boy.

"You are invited to the reception at our house now, everyone," said Mr. Diggory. "We'll go back and share memories of Ced. How about it?"

Harry felt exhausted and emotionally drained, but did agree to come. They apparated to the Diggorys' residence, and Harry spent the rest of the morning and afternoon with his friends and guardians. They talked quietly amongst themselves, and Harry got to meet some of Cedric's other family and friends. Most people treated him with a lot of respect, but he was very wary of them all.

But a few hours later, things went horribly, horribly wrong. He should've known this would happen. Harry couldn't believe that no one had confronted him about his part in Cedric's death yet, and he was bamboozled and shocked that his friends and even Cho had reacted so compassionately to him. But that all changed when Harry came out of the bathroom those few hours later.

Everyone else had gone outside to enjoy the sunny weather, and Harry was about to do the same when he suddenly saw three boys heading in his direction. "Excuse me," he said, trying to go around them, but they blocked his path.

"How dare you show up here, Potter!" one of them snarled. "How could you have the gall?" Harry remembered him as Jeff, one of Cedric's dormmates.

"Huh?" the boy asked, his expression blank.

"Don't "huh" us, Harry Potter," Cedric's other friend Malcolm said furiously. "Why, why didn't you save Cedric? You apparently defeated You-Know-Who at the age of one. Why couldn't you wave your little magic wand and help Cedric?""

"He was such a good person. Too good of a person, really," said the third boy, Stanley. "He offered you friendship, respect, kindness, he really cared about you. And your way of repaying him was to get him killed!"

Harry looked completely stricken at these statements and his body began to shake. "I'm sorry," was all he was able to get out. He definitely should have known that something like this was about to happen. Had Cho, his guardians, Dumbledore, his friends, been lying to him all along? Were they hiding the resentment they were feeling?

"You should be sorry," Jeff sneered with disgust. "And don't put on the waterworks; your tears won't bring him back, will they? I've wondered about you since two years ago, Potter. I still think you had a part in that Chamber of Secrets thing."

Harry's knees buckled, and he collapsed to the floor, his entire body going numb.

"He did everything for you!" Stanley said fiercely.

Tears streamed down Harry's face as he choked out how sorry he was over and over again. But suddenly, he heard a THUMP! and saw the boys fly across the hallway and hit a wall.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Harry heard the familiar voice of Sirius Black screaming. "HARRY'S ALREADY BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH SHIT WITHOUT YOU BASTARDS ADDING TO IT!"

"Get out of our house, now. I won't have you treating Harry like that. He's gone through enough heartache." came the soft but menacing voice of Mrs. Diggory. Looking up shakily, he saw Sirius's face. He truly looked like the mad ex-convict that everyone had accused him of being. His face was harsh with anger, and his fists were clenched.

"How can you be defending him? You're Cedric's mother!" Stanley complained.

"Yes, I am, and my son obviously had a better heart than the three of you combined," said Mrs. Diggory furiously. "And you caused my Cedric a lot of grief. Get out of my house, now!"

"But ..." said Jeff.

"Get out, before I do something I regret," growled Sirius. Remus put his hands on Harry's shaking shoulders. The boy tried to get to his feet, but he felt too weak and exhausted.

The three boys scurried away, and Remus and Sirius immediately knew it was time to take Harry home. The boy's face was white and his entire body was still shaking. Mrs. Diggory tried in vain to comfort him, but Harry just shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Diggory," he choked out. "I'm so sorry I couldn't save him."

"You did everything you could, sweetie, and you risked your life to bring him back to us so we could at least have some closure," Mrs. Diggory said softly.

"But those boys ..." Harry murmured brokenly.

"Sometimes, when one is grieving, Harry, they blame the nearest person they can," said Mrs. Diggory quietly. "And I admit, going that route is so easy. But Harry, my husband and I place the blame where it truly belongs; on those who thought his life was worth nothing. You, Harry, were not one of those people."

She held her arms out for another embrace, and Harry, still weak and exhausted, burrowed into them. "Thanks for coming, Harry," she finally said gently. "Feel free to contact us any time you want. Thank you once again for what you did for my Cedric. You made him so happy."

Harry's friends gave him extremely concerned glances as his two guardians gently supported his weight and guided him out of the house. They tried to go over and question him, but Sirius held them back. He softly explained what had just transpired, and informed them that they could talk to Harry later.

Cho gave him a soft smile as he left.

xxx

Back in 804, Lawdershod Avenue, Harry was soothed to sleep in Remus's arms. The werewolf and Sirius were completely shocked by the true idiocy and insensitivity of some people. Before he'd fallen asleep, Harry had asked whether they had lied to him about how they felt that he wasn't to blame. Trying to convince him they weren't lying didn't do anything, so they, with heartbreak, just held him and stroked his hair as he drifted into a fitful sleep.

"You will come to realize, cub," Remus said as Harry's eyes flickered shut, "that the ones who truly care about you will never blame you. Those are the only people you should take into consideration. Ignore anyone who points their finger at you in blame. You have people who love you, Harry, people who love you so much. Never forget that."

So as Harry slept, Remus and Sirius vowed to do all they could for their charge. They would make him whole again, even if it took a lifetime.


	43. The Order of the Phoenix

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Hi all, and thanks for the fabulous reviews! Again, I'm so glad that you liked how I portray Cedric. When I read about him in Goblet of Fire, I thought he had a lot of potential. I wanted to really flesh him out in this story.

Also, one of my reviewers asked me whether this is a rewrite, because they are having déjà vu. Indeed, it is. I posted this several years ago, then took it down to make major corrections to it.

To the reviewer who says I helped them through a week of final exams, I'm so glad! I remember final exams myself, THEY SUCK! I hope my story continues to help you through what's ahead!

To those who love the character of Severus Snape, there is a revelation about him in this chapter which may disappoint some of you, because you may think we won't see much of him in the future. I will tel you that you definitely will be seeing him, for I plan for him to do something major at the end of sixth year. He'll have a big part to play then. So he'll definitely still be in the story!

Chapter 43: The Order of the Phoenix

About two weeks passed, and Sirius and Remus did their absolute best to help Harry heal. Harry met up with the Diggorys once a week, and they helped to comfort each other. He also saw his friends during that time, and they were very loving towards him. They didn't press him about what happened; instead, they tried to take his mind off it by talking about other things.

One thing his two guardians did bring up, though, was his Triwizard winnings. They knew it would be a sore subject, so they approached it very gently. Harry grew very upset at the fact that he had still won, and told them he didn't want any of it. Over the following days, though, he remembered what his friends had said about helping him to laugh again, and whenever he thought of laughter, he thought of Fred and George. He then had an epiphany; he knew exactly what to do with the money. His guardians warned him that Molly Weasley might not approve, but warmly agreed that he should do it. So when he saw the Weasleys again, he gave the money to Fred and George for them to start their joke shop when they got out of school. The twins were very humbled by this, and pulled Harry into an embrace.

A few weeks later, the two Marauders and Harry woke up to a sunny morning. When Harry sat down for breakfast, Sirius said, "We're going on a little outing later today."

"Where are we going?" Harry asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Before we tell you that, we need to tell you why we're going there," said Remus, sitting down next to Harry. "Harry, have you ever heard of the Order of the Phoenix?"

"No," Harry answered. "What is it?"

"It's an organization that helps when it comes to fighting Voldemort and his supporters," said Sirius. Harry's face immediately grew somber.

"They were very active during the First War," said Remus. "All four of us Marauders and your mum were involved, as well as Frank and Alice Longbottom. We had meetings every so often, and we tried to stop the Death Eaters and Voldemort whenever we could."

"Dumbledore came by last night while you were asleep," Sirius explained. "He told us that he has talked to some of the old crowd that were in the Order last time. They have agreed to join again, for we don't know when Voldemort will reveal himself. As you know, the Ministry don't believe that he has returned."

Harry scowled. "What's wrong with them?" he griped angrily.

"They're just very stubborn, pup," Sirius said. "Fudge doesn't want to even mention the possibility that it might indeed be true to the wizarding community because he knows there will be an uproar."

"But they've got to be prepared!" Harry cried. "What if there's an attack and nobody knows about his return?"

"I definitely understand what you're saying," said Remus gently. "But Dumbledore informed me that those wishing to participate in the Order all believe it. There are also some new people that have joined, who weren't part of it last time."

"Who else is in the Order?" Harry asked. "And where are the meetings going to be? Can I be in the Order, too?"

"Harry, cub, I know you won't want to hear this," Remus started, "but Dumbledore thinks you're too young ..."

Harry jumped out of his seat, his mood immediately changing to fury. "I had to watch someone die! Doesn't he realize I'm not a child anymore?" he screamed.

"Harry, calm down, kiddo." Sirius rested a hand on his shoulder. "The fact is, no children are allowed to join the Order. But we know you have a right to find out what's going on with Voldemort; you have more of a right than anyone. Remus and I promise we'll tell you everything you need to know. Right now, Voldemort isn't doing anything. He and his supporters are keeping themselves hidden."

Harry took a deep breath and sat back down. At least his guardians were going to inform him of what was going on.

"As for where we're meeting," said Remus, "Sirius's old family home is our new Headquarters."

"Yes," said Sirius, looking smug. "Bet my parents are rolling over in their graves right now. I offered it to Dumbledore as Headquarters. I hated that bloody place, but at least we're using it for something good now. I'd die if I had to live there again, though. Dumbledore put a Fidelius charm over it." His eyes glazed over for a moment, remembering how the Fidelius had not worked for Lily and James. "Dumbledore is the secret keeper," he continued, wishing that his friends hadn't been so stubborn and accepted him as theirs, too.

"As for who else is in the Order," Remus said, looking at Sirius sympathetically, "Molly, Bill, and Arthur Weasley are new members. Ron, Ginny, Fred, George, and Hermione will be at the house this evening. Mad-Eye Moody was in the Order last time, but sadly, he is now dead. It's a great shame. Kingsley Shacklebolt will also be there, along with Professor McGonagall. Dumbledore will be there, too; he's the leader. Sirius's niece, Nymphadora Tonks, is coming; she's new as well. Hestia Jones, Emmeline Vance, and Sturgis Podmore will also be attending."

"And thank God, old Snivellus won't be there," Sirius said nastily. "He was in the Order last time to offer information about Voldemort's doings to our side. But God knows whether he was really helping the enemy."

"Sirius, please don't start that again," Remus sighed. "I know you're angry with him about the prophecy; I am, too. But Albus told us how remorseful he feels over it."

"Bull," Sirius shot back. "Old greaseball can't feel remorse about anything. His heart's made of stone."

"Sirius, please." Remus said quietly. "But no, he won't be there. Dumbledore told us, Harry, that Professor Snape will not be coming back next year, so you won't have to see him. Do you want to go back to Hogwarts next year at all?"

Harry looked surprised. "Of course I do!" he exclaimed. "Why would you ask me that? You know that what happened at the third task wasn't Dumbledore's fault. I'm still angry with him about Snape, but I still want to go back to Hogwarts."

"We'll discuss this more later, pup," Sirius said, looking unsure. "We want to be absolutely positive that you're comfortable with being at the school."

"I am comfortable," reassured Harry. "Please let me go back."

"We won't stop you, but we need to talk more about it," said Remus. "But about Snape, apparently, Voldemort needs a full-time potions brewer, and has informed him of such. He told Severus to tell Dumbledore, and of course, both of them think he is working for the side each belongs to; Dumbledore is positive he's working for the light, and Voldemort is sure he's working for the dark. Voldemort is positive that other people in the school will let him know what Dumbledore is up to, but if you continue with S.A.N.E, that will be a less likely prospect. Dumbledore is worried about sending him into such danger, for he knows that Severus will try to find ways in which to contact him to let him know what the Death Eaters are planning. He will have to do this in secret, for Voldemort can't suspect he is doing anything like that. If he does suspect, it will be very bad indeed for Severus."

Harry nodded, relieved that at least he wouldn't have to see him. He couldn't dig up any sympathy for Snape at the current time; all he could think about was the fact that he had informed the Dark Lord of the prophecy which had sent his parents to their deaths. "Who's going to teach Potions, then?" he asked.

"Dumbledore said he's talked to a man who used to teach at Hogwarts many years ago," Remus answered. "His name is Horace Slughorn. He was actually our Potions teacher back in the 70's."

"What's he like?" asked Harry.

"It would be better for you if you tried to avoid him," Sirius warned. "He's obsessed with famous people, and others who have famous parents."

"Oh," groaned Harry unhappily. He tried to console himself with the fact that at least this was better than having to deal with Snape.

xxx

That evening, the three apparated to the street where Grimmauld Place was located. Sirius handed Harry a piece of parchment, giving one to Remus and keeping a third for himself. In Dumbledore's handwriting, it said:

The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix is located at 12, Grimmauld Place. Remus told him to memorize the information, so Harry did.

At once, a house began to materialize, pushing numbers 11 and 13 out of its way. Before they knew it, 12, Grimmauld Place was standing there.

Sirius's face was a conflicting sea of emotions as he knocked on the door. His companions could tell that he was going to have a hard time with this. Mrs. Weasley answered the door, and beckoned for them to come in.

As they walked into the house, Harry heard the sound of something screaming. It was so loud that Harry had to cover his ears.

"SHAME OF MY FLESH! HOW DARE YOU BRING MUDBLOODS AND MUDBLOOD LOVERS INTO MY HOUSE! YOU ARE A DISGRACE, HOW DARE YOU RETURN! YOU ARE SCUM, YOU ARE FILTH ..."

"Mum, shut the hell up, you old hag!" Sirius snarled, pulling the curtains over an old portrait, which was the thing that was screaming.

Harry looked at Sirius in shock once the horrible noise had stopped. "That ... that's your mother?" he asked weakly.

"Yep," Sirius said ferociously. "That's her, all right."

"Wow," said Harry. "I feel bad for you."

Sirius just nodded in acknowledgment, giving another nasty look to the terrible portrait.

As Harry looked around, there was hardly any light, and the house was extremely dusty. It looked like it had been abandoned for years.

"You'll get a chance to look around later, dear," said Mrs. Weasley to Harry. "The meeting's about to start, so you need to go up to the first room on the right. Ron, Hermione, the twins, and Ginny are all there."

Harry nodded in agreement, and went up the stairs. He knocked on the door to the first room to his right, and his friends warmly told him to come in.

Hermione threw her arms around him when she saw him, as did Ginny. Fred, George, and Ron pounded him on the back, the twins sporting identical cheeky grins. "Oh hello, Harry, our humble king!" they said.

Harry sat down on the floor next to Ginny, and they all started talking about the Order of the Phoenix. Harry told them what he'd learned that day about Snape, and Ron let out a whoop of joy, the twins giving each other high-fives. Hermione looked disapprovingly at them. "Don't you understand that what he's going to do is really dangerous?" she frowned.

"Aw, come on, 'Mione," Ron coaxed. "Aren't you at least happy the greasy git's not gonna be around anymore? Serves him right that he's gonna be in danger. He deserves it!"

"Ronald!" exclaimed Hermione crossly. "You know better than to wish bad things on people you don't like!"

"I dunno if I like the sound of this Slughorn, though," said Ginny. "I don't want him to go on and on about your fame; I know you hate that."

"Thanks, Gin," said Harry. "I guess I'll just have to deal with it when the time comes."

Ginny put a reassuring hand on Harry's shoulder, squeezing it in comfort. "At least you won't have to deal with Snape," she said.

"Yeah," said Harry. Changing the subject, he asked everyone, "How are things at the Burrow, then?"

"It's funny you should ask that," said Fred.

"Yeah, things've been rather interesting," added George.

"How?" asked Harry curiously.

"Well, it involves Percy the Prat," said Ron, glaring. "It all started yesterday, you see. He came home from work and told Dad that Fudge had promoted him. He then made a nasty comment about how the Ministry are at least doing things right, and not believing the garbage the rest of the family does about You-Know-Who being back."

"Dad got really angry," Ginny took over. "He and Percy had a shouting match, and it ended with Percy leaving the house. He hasn't been back since."

Harry looked shocked and a little angry. "Where's he gone, then?"

"None of us know," said George. "Dad tried to talk to him at the Ministry today, but Percy refused the offer."

"I'm sure he'll come around," said Hermione. "I think he's just afraid."

"We'll give him "afraid,"" said the twins, balling their hands into fists. "He'll have a new definition of the word once we're through with him."

"Let's talk about something more lighthearted," George then said, taking something out of his robes pocket. "Harry, check this out, mate."

Harry looked at the things that were made out of string which the twins were holding; they were flesh-colored and looked very odd. "What are they?" he asked.

"Extendable Ears," chirped Fred happily. "George and I invented them for the joke shop. They're a way of eavesdropping on people's conversations." At this, Hermione gave him and George a glare.

"We'd show you how they work, little bro," said George, "but Mum told us Dumbledore's putting a charm on the door to make it so that no sound is able to come through. Suspicious old codger."

"I wouldn't be surprised if Mum suggested to him to do it, though," said Ron. "She knows what you two are like, because she caught you using them the other day while listening to one of her and Dad's conversations."

"She's no fun," grumbled Fred.

"You are oh, so right, dear brother," agreed George.

After the meeting was over, the children trooped into the kitchen, where Molly Weasley was busily cooking. Harry got a chance to meet some people from the Order who had decided to stay for dinner. Kingsley Shacklebolt gave him a friendly hello, while Nymphadora Tonks gave him a toothy smile and tried to make him laugh by changing her appearance all over the place. Harry found it unbelievable that people could have such magical talents. During dinner, she kept changing her nose and winking at the twins and Ginny, making them burst into uncontrollable giggles.

"We need to clean up this place," said Sirius, looking around the kitchen. "This room and the other rooms, too."

"We know," Kingsley said. "We'll work on it over the next few months. Are you willing to help us, Sirius?"

"It's my house, I suppose I'll have to," grumbled Sirius. "I hate this place. It's a foul, disgusting old dump."

At that moment, a house-elf shuffled into the kitchen. But he didn't look a thing like Dobby; he was not happy and smiling. Instead, he was scowling, and he said to Sirius, "Good evening, Master. Is there anything I can get for you?" Then he began to mutter under his breath. "My master disgusts me, bringing half-breeds and mudbloods and blood traitors into the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Oh my poor mistress, what would she say if she only knew what abominable filth was infesting the house of ..."

"Shut up, Kreacher, you loathsome elf," growled Sirius. "Go away."

"Yes, Master," said Kreacher, bowing so low that his entire body almost touched the floor. He then proceeded to shuffle out of the room, still muttering under his breath.

"Sorry about him," Sirius mumbled. "I've always hated that elf. He worshipped my mother, thought she was the best thing to ever grace this Earth."

"You should be nicer to him, though, Sirius," Hermione told him earnestly. "He'd probably like you more if you treated him better."

"I'm afraid that wouldn't work, Hermione," Sirius told her, shaking his head. "Kreacher will never change."

Hermione just frowned at him, and the others could tell that she highly disagreed with him.

xxx

Later that night, when Harry was tucked into bed, Sirius and Remus sat in the living room, talking quietly.

"So how do you think the Order meeting went, Rem?" Sirius asked.

Remus sighed. "It went well, but I don't like to think about what's to come," he said, worry lines creasing his face. "I don't want to think about how many we'll lose before this is over."

"Me, neither," said Sirius. "But we're more prepared than we were last time, you know? We know what Voldemort wants first; he's going to try to get the prophecy from the Department of Mysteries. He's obsessed with it, he wants to hear the full contents. Since Harry didn't know them when he saw him in the graveyard, that's the thing he wants to know first."

"Dumbledore told me I have guard duty tomorrow night," said Remus.

"I have it the night after you," said Sirius. "I know Harry's going to be really worried when we tell him what we'll be guarding. But Albus needs us to do it, and he knows we're both willing to do anything to take care of Harry."

"I worry about the poor boy," said Remus. "He's been through so much already. It's not fair that he's had to see someone he thought of as a big brother be murdered right before his very eyes."

"I know," said Sirius, breathing deeply. "I know. But we're going to do everything to make sure the ride gets easier for him."

"And he wants to go back to Hogwarts," said Remus. "I don't think we'll be able to convince him not to go."

"I realize that," Sirius sighed. After a few moments of silence, Sirius changed the subject. "You know, Moony," he said softly, "my little cousin Dora was looking at you all night."

Remus looked at his old friend. "I know," he said. "I saw it too."

"Do you think she has a little crush?" Sirius joked lightly.

"I don't know, but you know I can't pursue it, Padfoot," Remus said sadly. "Once she finds out what I am she'll run away. After what Kreacher said at dinner, she's probably already wondering which one of us is a half-breed."

"Moony, you can't think everyone would run away from you," Sirius told him gently. "After all, Prongs, Lily, Wormtail for a time, and I accepted you unconditionally."

"I know, but I can't not think of Julia," Remus said, more sadness creeping into his eyes and voice. "It may have been years, Padfoot, but I still love her. I know you told me that what she said at our last meeting was wrong, but it's hard for me to accept that."

"I know, old friend. But I'm sure that wherever she is now, she'd want you to be happy."

Remus let out a sigh. "I know."

As the two friends went to sleep that night, the day's events played over and over again in their minds. They thought about the Order, about Hogwarts, and about their adopted son Harry.

But also on Remus's mind was the revelation about how Tonks might want to pursue him. He'd seen the looks she'd cast his way, and it made him feel uncomfortable. He could never forget the disaster that ended things with his very first love, Julia Fields. Now that a second war was on its way to beginning, he couldn't help but remember a certain tragedy of the first. And when he saw the memory of James's shade telling Harry Julia was sorry, everything came rushing back. He cast his mind into the past, and began to remember...''


	44. Remembering Julia

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thanks so much again for the reviews! To my one reviewer, you're probably right that I do use "for" a lot. I don't really notice it, but I swear that if I do, I'll try not to use it so much. I'm glad it's not that big of a deal, though. If I make the same mistake again, please forgive me!

Chapter 44: Remembering Julia

Julia Fields and Remus Lupin had met in the 1977-1978 school year, or the Marauders' seventh year at Hogwarts. Julia had been a year younger than Remus, and in the Hufflepuff house. Remus always tried his best to not get close to people, because he knew only too well of the prejudice against werewolves. It had been difficult enough to let the Marauders in. By this time, James was dating Lily, and she knew about his condition too, and had also accepted him unconditionally. So Remus had let her in as well.

The other Marauders had told Remus that Julia was always looking at him, and James and Sirius begged him to give her a chance. Finally, he worked up the courage to talk to her, but he made a vow to himself that he would never tell her what he was. After all, his original plan was to never tell the Marauders; they had figured it out for themselves. Lily was a smart girl too, so she had figured it out even before she'd started dating James. But Remus hadn't found out she knew until she and James were an item.

Julia and Remus started to talk more and more, and he had found himself, against his will, growing closer and closer to her. They started dating in May, and in June, he invited her to his senior dance. James and Lily were going together, and Sirius was going with Lily's best friend, Mary McDonald. There was nothing going on between them; Sirius hadn't yet found the strength to move on after his emotional relationship with Adelina, which was completely understandable. Peter went with another of Lily's friends whose name was Marlene McKinnon, but they just went as friends as well.

Remus and Julia grew even more emotionally attached the night of the dance, and they kept up their relationship once Remus graduated from Hogwarts. Even though Julia still had a year to go, she made time to see Remus on Hogsmeade weekends. The Marauders had graduated in 1978, and Remus and Julia remained a steady couple until March 1980, when things went horribly wrong.

It all started on a chilly March day, the day of the full moon. On the nights of the full moon when Julia wanted to meet him, he always told her he was having a "boys' night out." This was always his excuse for those certain nights. The boys would come to his house and keep him company as Animagi, and Remus couldn't express how grateful he was for their love and friendship. James was by now married to Lily, and Sirius and Peter were still single.

On that March day, Remus had woken up with a sinking feeling in his gut. He didn't know how he'd known it, but he'd had a feeling that something was going to go wrong that day. Over the past little while, he'd seen Julia looking at him strangely whenever he mentioned his "boys' nights out." She had always seemed to accept this reason of why they couldn't meet on certain days, but there was a niggling feeling in the back of his mind which told him he wouldn't be able to keep it up much longer. The day after the full moon, he always looked a little beat up from the experience the night before. Even though James, Sirius, and Peter kept him from doing severe damage to himself, there were still times when the wolf got very angry and would cause him to wreak havoc. It would have been a lot worse if the Marauders weren't around, though.

Remus had got up in his little flat that he'd managed to buy at the end of his Hogwarts career. Unfortunately, his parents were now dead; they had been murdered by Voldemort, as had Julia's. He and his Death Eaters were extremely rampant then, killing many, many Muggles and wizards. The reign of terror was truly upon them. Remus and Julia had found tremendous comfort in each other through the tough times.

After he had shaved, showered, and eaten his breakfast, he heard a knock at the door. Julia had arranged to come to his flat to spend time with him.

FLASHBACK: March 1980

When Remus answered the door, he knew instantly that something wasn't right. Julia looked him up and down like she did every month around this time, noticing his exhaustion and the circles under his eyes. "Hey, love," he greeted her quietly. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Julia answered in a monotone. "Listen, can we get together tonight instead? I have an appointment I have to go to this morning which I totally forgot about. I'm sorry to do this to you."

"I'm afraid I can't," Remus said apologetically. "The boys and I are doing our night out thing that we do every month. Would tomorrow be better?"

Julia walked into the flat, scowling. "Oh yeah," she said. "You and your friends, the Marauders. I have a few questions to ask you about your so-called friends, and you're going to answer them truthfully. Don't you dare even think about lying to me, Remus John Lupin."

Remus felt a terrible feeling grip his heart. What was Julia going to say? What was the matter with her this morning? He could tell from the look on her face that she'd hidden this from him for a long time.

The couple sat down on the couch in the living room. "What's wrong, love?" Remus asked with concern.

"What's wrong, love?" Julia mimicked, a disgusted look on her face. "Is that all you can say, Remus? You know very well what's wrong, and don't play pretend with me. I've caught on to what your friends do to you every month, and I don't understand why you let them keep doing it."

"Keep doing what?" asked Remus in surprise. He hadn't expected the conversation to go down this route. What did Julia think his friends did to him?

"Your little "boys' night out" adventures are not very innocent, are they?" asked Julia angrily. "Every single month, the day after your little adventures you look awfully beat up and exhausted, and the day of them, you almost look like you're dreading what's going to happen. When I see you afterwards, there are scratches all over your body, and you always give me some story about how you fell over. Well, you know what? Bullshit! Your friends hurt you, don't they? I always knew you four were up to something. Is it some kind of amusing game? What exactly do they do to you? Why don't you call the Aurors on them? Do they punch you? Hit you? Kick you? Are they drunk when they do it? Why do you forgive them each month?"

Remus looked at Julia, his mouth agape. She was completely wrong. He immediately knew what he had to do; he couldn't let her go on thinking this. His heart sank to the bottom of his chest as the terrible realization that he had to tell her the truth hit home. He couldn't let her think his friends were hurting him. After all that the Marauders had done for him, it was completely wrong to let her think this of them.

"Your friends were always bullies," Julia continued fiercely. "I still remember that day Potter and Black hung Severus Snape upside down. You're going to have to learn to stick up for yourself, Remus, and not let them walk all over you!"

"Listen," Remus pleaded, "my friends do not hurt me."

"Why should I believe you?" snapped Julia. "Why should I believe you when every single month you look like absolute shit after your little nights out?"

Remus's temper was always at its worst right before the full moon, and he felt it rise as each accusation against his friends spurted from Julia's mouth. "Listen to me, Julia," he snarled. "Do you want to know? Do you really want to know what happens to me every month? Because if you do, I'll tell you. I won't have you accusing my friends."

"What's your big secret then, Oh Submissive Lupin?" Julia mocked.

"I'm a bloody werewolf, that's what!" Remus cried out. "Are you happy now? I'm a werewolf!"

Julia's mouth gaped open in shock for a few moments. Her face went totally white, and her fists were clenched. "You're lying," she said quietly. "You're lying to me. How could you say something so horrible? How could you do this to me?"

"I'm not lying, Julia," Remus said softly. "I was bitten when I was five by Fenrir Greyback. I didn't think I'd be allowed to go to Hogwarts at all, but Professor Dumbledore was very understanding and he let me in. The Marauders know what I am, and they accepted me for it. I know that this is a huge blow to you, Julia, and I'm terribly sorry. I hope you can forgive me, and I know you probably won't want to be with me anymore after hearing this."

Remus looked at Julia's face again, and he could now tell that she knew he was telling the truth. Abruptly, she got up off the sofa, glaring at Remus with complete and utter hatred. The expression broke Remus's heart in two. "YOU ... YOU MONSTER!" she screamed, running as fast as she could to the front door. "HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME THAT YOU ARE A WEREWOLF? WEREWOLVES HURT AND KILL PEOPLE! YOU ... YOU SUPPORT YOU-KNOW-WHO, DON'T YOU? YOU COMPLETE AND UTTER MONSTER! WE'RE THROUGH, I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" With that, she slammed the door.

Remus put his head in his hands, tears beginning to fall down his face. But why should he be surprised? Nearly everyone reacted this way to werewolves. Why should Julia be any different? Even after all the time they had spent together, she was still prejudiced. The Marauders and Lily were exceptions to the rule, they were people Remus didn't think he'd meet in a lifetime. As well as the anger on Julia's face, he'd seen the abject terror there, and it had ripped him apart.

xxx

That evening, James, Sirius, and Peter walked into the basement of his flat, and they immediately knew that something had happened to Remus. James gently asked what the problem was, with Sirius threatening to hurt the person who had made him so upset.

"Julia," Remus choked out. "She found out."

"Found out what? Do you mean, about your lycanthropy?" Peter asked.

Remus nodded miserably. "I had to tell her, she was accusing you guys of hurting me every month," he sighed. "She noticed how beat up I looked after our little adventures."

"I take it she didn't react well?" James asked softly.

"She never wants to see me again," Remus said sadly.

"That little ..." Sirius started, his hands balling into fists. "That ... that bitch!"

"Sirius, please don't call her that," Remus begged. "You can't expect her to understand. Nearly everyone in the wizarding world hates werewolves, you can't expect her to know any better."

"Gods, I'm so sorry, Remy," said James, going over to his distraught friend and putting his arms around him. The lycanthrope's eyes filled with tears and before he could stop it, he was sobbing in James's arms. His cries of sorrow soon changed to cries of pain, though, and he rasped out, "Change! Transform, please!" as his body went rigid.

James immediately obeyed, as did Sirius and Peter. The wolf was very angry and upset that night, and it was the longest night the three had ever spent as Animagi.

xxx

The first thing Remus noticed when he opened his eyes was that his body hurt all over. James, Peter, and Sirius must have made sure he got into his bed after he'd transformed back into a human. After a few minutes of laying in his bed, he stretched his sore and stiff muscles and slowly got up. He removed some potions from his drawer that helped him with pain relief, and gratefully gulped them down.

All he wanted to do was sleep some more, but he'd been recommended by the Healers at St. Mungo's to get up and move around after his post-transformation sleep. It would only make things worse if he stayed in bed all day.

Feeling exhausted but wanting to let the other Marauders know that he was all right, he quietly walked to the living room. The crushing weight of what Julia had said to him was still on his heart, and it was making him feel extremely depressed. But wasn't this what his life was about? No woman would accept him, and he'd just have to deal with it. Why should he be upset? After all, he had the Marauders and Lily.

He was just about to go into the living room when his sensitive ears picked up a whispered conversation that the three Marauders were having. His sense of hearing was especially sharp because of his lycanthropy; he could hear things other people could not.

"Wormtail, we have to tell him," James was saying urgently. "But we have to break it to him gently. I can't believe this happened. It's the most terrible thing."

"But it'll break him, Prongs," Peter insisted. "Maybe it'll be best if he doesn't know at all."

"It'll blow up in our faces if we say nothing, he'll find out some other way," whispered Sirius. "And we've got to convince him it wasn't him who did it. After all, the three of us were with him all night in our Animagus forms and he didn't cause harm to anyone."

"We have to put this paper away so he doesn't see it before we tell him," said James. "I'm still horrified that this happened. If anything will put Remus into a depression, this will."

"Accio paper."

Remus walked into the room, and his voice spoke the command loudly as he pointed his wand at the paper, and James, Sirius, and Peter ran over, trying to snatch it from him. But their friend's enormous werewolf strength allowed him to hold on to the paper with all his might, and none of them were able to take it from his hands.

Numbness and horror swept over Remus as he gazed at the headline. No, no, no, he thought, his entire body feeling like ice. This can't be happening. This has to be some kind of sick joke. There's no way that fate can do this. This is just too much.

For on the paper was written:

GIRL KILLED BY WEREWOLF

This morning in Hogsmeade, a girl's body was found. After much investigation, the body is said to be that of 18-year-old Julia Fields. She was barely able to be recognized, for she had been savagely mauled by a vicious werewolf. ...

Remus couldn't read anymore. The paper limply dropped from his hands and fell onto the carpet. James, Sirius, and Peter stood, transfixed, as Remus's entire face went white, and he muttered one word, one, single word.

"No."

And he fell to the floor, his entire world going black.

END FLASHBACK

And that, Remus reflected as he came out of the memory, was why he could never, ever get himself involved with a woman again. He'd refused to go to Julia's funeral, and he'd admit now that he was a complete coward. But he knew that if now was the time of her death, he'd do the same thing again; he couldn't go to the funeral of a girl who had been brutally savaged by the same monster he turned into every month. He also wondered agonizingly what Julia had thought in her last moments of life. Had she thought, as the werewolf pounced on her, that it was Remus, coming to reap his revenge upon her for leaving him? Had she screamed his name before she was mauled to death? The questions tore at him constantly, and he'd gone into a gigantic depression after the tragedy happened. The Marauders and Lily were there for him, but no one was able to understand the tremendous pain and guilt that crashed down upon him.

For many months after her death he was subjected to horrific nightmares of a huge, hairy wolf snapping and snarling at Julia, munching her until she was nothing but a mass of blood and bone. Then her voice would echo on the air, screaming, "YOU KILLED ME ... YOU MONSTER ... YOU KILLED ME ... YOU MONSTER ... YOU MONSTER ... YOU MONSTER ... YOU MONSTER ..." He'd awaken, sweating and shaking, tears dripping down his face unchecked.

When Harry had come back from the graveyard and shown Remus his memories, he'd seen James come out of the wand and tell him that Julia said she was sorry. It made Remus tear up again, for wherever she was, did she really mean it? Did she still think about him? Was she truly sorry for hating him because of what he was? He knew that until the day he died, he'd never get over the horrible circumstances which had led to her death. He knew that it wasn't him who had killed her, for he knew the Marauders hadn't lied to him. But it still didn't stop him from feeling awful about the whole ordeal.

As he drifted to sleep that night, her face was still on his mind, and he couldn't imagine hurting a young woman like Nymphadora Tonks by letting her know what he was. Tonks deserved a full and happy life, a life which didn't involve a fierce, bloodthirsty werewolf messing it up. I'm sorry too, Julia, he thought as his eyes closed. I'm sorry I ever got close to you. I'm sorry that you had to think I'd hurt you, even for a second. I'm sorry your life ended the way it did; you didn't deserve it. I'm terribly, terribly sorry.

And her beautiful eyes continued to haunt him as he succumbed to the blissful pull of sleep, and he knew he'd never, ever forget her.


	45. A Bond of Brotherhood

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thanks for the feedback, guys! It's true, Remus had a sucky life, with what happened with Julia! But at least he still has Sirius and Harry.

On another note, I'm sure many of you are wondering how exactly Snape got back into Voldemort's good graces. If you remember from chapter 39, he was ill with the wizarding flu the night of his master's return. Don't worry, all will be explained in a couple of chapters!

Chapter 45: A Bond of Brotherhood

The next morning, Harry sat in the living room with Sirius and Remus, for they said they needed to talk to him. "What's up, guys?" he asked concernedly as he made himself comfortable.

"We need to discuss something with you which you're not going to like too much," Remus warned. Harry immediately looked worried.

"We told you we'd inform you of what's going on with Voldemort," Sirius said, "and we're definitely going to keep our word. At the Order meeting last night, Dumbledore told us that Voldemort is completely obsessed with the prophecy. He desperately wants to know what it says."

"Oh," Harry said, his expression stony. "What are you going to do to try to stop him from getting the information on it?"

"A record of the prophecy is located in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry," Remus explained. "I know you're going to hate this, cub, but two members of the Order have to do nightly guard duty to protect it."

"Oh, no!" Harry exclaimed, his face going pale. "So that means both of you have to go?"

"Yeah, we have to take turns," Sirius said, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder. "But we promise we'll be careful. We know how to defend ourselves if anything should happen."

Harry looked really upset. "I wish you didn't have to go," he sighed. "Please, isn't there any other way?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Remus said gently. "But we told you before, we're going to do everything to keep you safe. And we want you to know that if anything happens to either of us, it won't be your fault at all. We know what we're getting into, Harry; we've been prepared from the first moment Dumbledore mentioned it to us."

Harry's shoulders slumped, and he took on a defeated posture. "Okay," he said softly. His two guardians held on to their adopted son's hands, doing their best to show him how completely sincere they were being.

"What's in the Department of Mysteries?" Harry asked after a few moments of silence.

"We don't know everything that's there," Sirius answered. "But we can tell you about some parts of it. The people who work there are called Unspeakables; their job is very private and they're not allowed to tell anyone what they do."

"Not even their families?" Harry asked, shocked.

"No, not even their families," Sirius said. "But we know that one of the rooms contains records of every single prophecy that was ever made."

"You mean, there've been other prophecies that have been made by other people in the past?"

"Yeah," Remus said. "Another of the rooms looks like a theater. There are a bunch of stone steps that lead to an archway, and there is a veil there. If you fall or walk through the veil, you apparently die. No corpse is left to bury, it's as though the person just disappeared."

"Really?" Harry asked, a surprised look on his face. "But why is it there?"

"So the Unspeakables can study death," Sirius answered. "Back in the old days, though, it was used for people who were executed by the law. It was their punishment, to walk through the veil into the land of the dead."

"Wow. Is there anything else?"

"Apparently, time-turners are kept in there as well," Remus stated. "One of the subjects the Unspeakables study is time; it has always been of great interest to them."

"Magic is definitely interesting," Harry said.

"There is another subject we wish to bring up," Remus said, his face growing very serious. "We need to know for sure that you want to go back to school."

"Yes, I'm sure I do," Harry declared. "Please let me go back."

"We're not going to force you not to go, kiddo, but think about it. Voldemort got to you last year," Sirius protested. "Right under Albus Dumbledore's nose."

"But how was he supposed to know that was going to happen?" Harry asked. "I know he tried to keep me safe all year. And I need to be with my friends."

Remus and Sirius reluctantly nodded, but still had extremely worried looks adorning their faces. "Okay," Sirius sighed, fiddling with his hands so that he had something to do to take his mind off his niggling concerns.

"I'd like to ask you something as well," Harry told them, looking hesitant to go on.

"Okay, pup," Sirius said, squeezing Harry's hand in a reassuring gesture.

"I've been thinking, and I think Neville has the right to know that Crouch hurt us in September," Harry said slowly. "And I think he deserves to know about the prophecy."

His two guardians looked at each other. "You're a very mature young man, Harry," Remus said proudly. "But are you sure this is the right time?"

"He has the right to know," Harry repeated stubbornly. "I hate how Crouch messed with our minds the way he did."

"In what way did Crouch hurt you in September, Harry?" Sirius asked, his demeanor growing angry just at the thought of that revolting Death Eater hurting his godson.

"Do you mind if I show you instead of tell you?" Harry begged. Telling his guardians about it would bring back the night of the graveyard and Cedric, for that was the night he'd remembered what had happened. It would also bring back the anger he felt towards his guardians for not telling him about the prophecy, which he was desperately trying to get over. He knew they'd meant well, but at times, he still had trouble with it.

"Okay," Remus said softly. Harry walked with him and Sirius into his room, and he removed the horrific memory and put it in the Pensieve. Then the two both disappeared inside it.

They watched in horror as Harry was subjected to the Cruciatus Curse, and they were disgusted at the way Crouch Jr. had threatened Neville that if he didn't tell him the prophecy, he'd make Harry suffer. They saw as Crouch smirked maliciously and then changed his features so that he looked like Moody once again. They watched as he cast the memory charm on both boys, and then the memory was over.

"Oh Gods, Harry, I'm so sorry," Sirius whispered as they emerged from the Pensieve, their faces stricken. "We should have been able to protect you from this madness."

"Harry, I can't even imagine what that was like," Remus said as he embraced his charge.

"Have either of you been under that curse?" Harry asked.

"I have," Sirius replied. "It's absolutely awful. It's the worst pain in the world. I just can't believe that this happened at Hogwarts, which is supposed to be the safest place in the whole bloody country."

"Albus did tell us last night," Remus said, "that there has been a special alarm added to the wards of the school that will alert any staff member if someone performs an Unforgivable on school grounds again."

Harry looked relieved. "That's good. I don't want anyone else to have to go through that," he said, shuddering. He could remember Cedric's earth-shattering screams as Voldemort cast it on him.

"So when can I tell Neville?" Harry inquired.

"I'll talk to his grandmother through the floo," Remus said. "Are you sure you want to do this? It's a very brave endeavor to embark on. You've been through so much, cub."

"He needs to know," Harry said at once. "And he's strong. I think he can handle it."

xxx

A few days went by, and Harry was anxious for Neville's visit. His guardians continued to comfort him about the loss of Cedric, for Harry would sometimes break down in tears at the weirdest times. He would often wake up in the middle of the night screaming his friend's name, causing them to come rushing in to try to calm him down.

Neville's visit came a few mornings later. Fortunately, guard duty for both Remus and Sirius had been very uneventful the past few days.

"We'd just like to warn you that Neville's grandmother is going to be with you as well," Sirius informed Harry seriously. "She is a very no-nonsense type of woman, from the looks of it. She didn't want him to know about the prophecy at first, but Remus and I told her the reason why you feel he deserves to be informed."

"Thanks," Harry said, his green eyes showing concern. How would his friend take this? And how would he take the fact that Harry had been subjected to the same torture which had driven his parents to insanity, and in his presence as well?

A couple of minutes later, the floo burst into life, and Neville and Augusta Longbottom came tumbling out.

"Hello, Mr. Potter," Mrs. Longbottom said formally as she shook Harry's hand. "Hello, Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am," said Harry politely. "Hey, Nev, how are you?"

"I could be better," Neville said meekly. Harry could tell that he had been severely traumatized by the fact that he'd been taught by Barty Crouch all year. Harry couldn't blame him. This kind of revelation would send anyone into turmoil.

"Chin up, Neville," said his grandmother sternly. "You should be proud that your parents gave up their minds to keep you safe."

"I am," Neville said, his face flushing with embarrassment.

The two sat down, and Harry began to explain.

Sirius and Remus had told him a theory about memory charms. They had said that if you showed someone a memory that had been charmed so they couldn't recall it, it might trigger them to remember it. This meant that if Harry showed Neville the memory of what they had been subjected to in the DADA office, it might force the memory to come back to him.

"Are you okay, Nev?" Harry asked in concern as he finished explaining. "Are you sure you want to see this?"

"Y-Yes," Neville stammered, his face looking upset but determined. "I want to know what that monster put us through."

Harry looked at him with a gentle smile, and they walked into Harry's room. Although Harry absolutely despised this memory, he'd do whatever it took to comfort his friend, so he decided to dive into the Pensieve with him. Sirius and Remus immediately grew worried, fretting that this wouldn't be good for him, but Harry insisted. His two guardians felt their hearts clench as they understood just how far Harry was willing to go to look out for other people's welfare.

"Ready, Nev?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I guess so," said Neville slowly. Squeezing each other's hands, they plunged their heads into the Pensieve.

Harry watched Neville's face through the whole ordeal. The other boy had tears in his eyes as he watched his memory-self lying, paralyzed, on the floor, Harry only a few feet away. His face grew white as he watched Harry being tortured, and Barty Crouch taunting about a prophecy.

"I ... I ... remember," Neville muttered slowly as comprehension dawned. "It worked, Harry. I remember."

"You do?"

"Yeah," he said, his countenance going even paler as more little snippets of the memory came flooding back to him. At one point it looked like he was going to collapse, but Harry held on to him so he wouldn't fall.

When they came out of the Pensieve, Neville was shaking.

"Did it work?" Mrs. Longbottom asked, looking her grandson up and down.

"Yeah," Neville said weakly. "I remember everything now. I can't believe he did such a foul thing. What's with this prophecy, though, Gran? Why didn't you tell me?"

"You were too young to know yet, Neville," said Mrs. Longbottom sternly. Neville adopted a hurt and betrayed expression, and it looked like he was going to protest. "Don't look at me like that," the woman added, glaring at him. "Albus and I only had your best interests at heart."

"What does the prophecy say, and what do I have to do with it?" Neville asked as he and Harry sat down on the bed.

"well," said Harry, "you don't really need to be concerned about it, Nev, because this prophecy is about me, not you. But when Professor Trelawney first made it ..."

"Trelawney?" asked Neville in amazement. "I remember Crouch saying that, but is it really true? Professor Trelawney actually prophesized something?"

"Don't interrupt, young man," said Mrs. Longbottom, glaring at him again.

"It's all right," said Harry.

"No, it's not. I require my grandson to have the proper manners. Apologize this instant, Neville."

The boy looked totally embarrassed. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"It's okay," said Harry, smiling at him consolingly. "But yeah, Professor Trelawney did actually predict something. Dumbledore told me that she spoke in this weird voice and started saying what I'm about to tell you. Are you ready for this?"

Neville just nodded mutely, gazing at Harry with rapt attention.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches, born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies," Harry said softly. "And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he shall have power the Dark Lord knows not. And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives."

Neville stared at his friend in stunned silence. "But what does that have to do with me?" he said, his voice just above a whisper.

"Apparently, we were born in July to parents who defied Voldemort ..." Neville shuddered at the name, "three times. Professor Dumbledore told both mine and your families what the prophecy was. He told me that when Voldemort gave me that scar the night he tried to kill me, he marked me as his equal."

"So that's why ..." Neville said, his voice shaking a little. "That's why You-Know-Who killed your parents?"

"Yeah," Harry said miserably. "The prophecy was either about me or you. But Voldemort only learned the first half of it. He only heard the part about us being born in July and our parents defying him three times."

Neville's face grew red with anger. "Who told him?" he bit out. "Who told You-Know-Who that part of the prophecy?"

Harry looked at Sirius and Remus, asking them permission as to whether he could tell him. They gave him looks which clearly said, "Whatever you want to do." Knowing that Snape wouldn't be around next year anyway, Harry decided to just tell him.

"It was Snape," Harry said quietly. "He overheard it."

For a moment, Neville said nothing. Then he shouted, "SNAPE? IT WAS SNAPE? I'LL KILL HIM!"

"You will stop that this instant, Neville Longbottom," his grandmother snapped. "That is a terrible thing to say. You are not going to kill anybody."

"Gran, he's the reason my parents are the way they are!" Neville roared. "I bet you that's why they were tortured! I bet anything that they weren't only hurt because You-Know-Who's supporters were trying to locate him, but also because they knew the prophecy!"

"Neville, if you don't calm down, we will be leaving," Mrs. Longbottom snarled. Neville glared at his grandmother, but then his face crumpled and he broke down into tears. Harry immediately wrapped his arms around him, knowing exactly what he was going through. Mrs. Longbottom looked at the two disapprovingly.

"Your parents gave their sanity for you, Neville. Stop your blubbering and be proud of them," she snapped angrily.

"With all due respect, Augusta, Neville just found out something that is unsurprisingly very difficult to take in," Remus said, while Sirius gave the woman a nasty look. Mrs. Longbottom had nothing to say to this, but she kept staring at Neville with a look of disappointment etched across her face.

Neville tried to get himself under control, and after about a minute or so, he finally stopped crying. "I'm sorry," he said, his face going crimson. "I-I didn't mean to go off like that."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Neville," Remus told him gently. "I think you're a very brave boy."

"Yeah," agreed Harry, managing to smile at him.

"I don't want to go back to Hogwarts," Neville said miserably. "Not if Snape's going to be there. And what is he doing working in a school if he was a Death Eater?"

"He is now a spy working for the light side, or so Dumbledore thinks. But don't worry, Nev, he's not coming back," Harry said. He then explained what would be happening to the Potions Master in the coming year, and informed him that Horace Slughorn would be his replacement.

Neville nodded, looking relieved but still overwhelmed by everything he had heard and taken in that day. "Gran," he said, sniffling, "I want to go home." He turned to Harry. "No offense, mate."

"None taken," Harry reassured him. "I'm sorry I had to tell you all this."

"Thanks for telling me, though," sighed Neville, getting up from the bed. "I really appreciate it. But how do you feel about ... about the fact that you have to be the one to kill You-Know-Who?"

Harry looked uncomfortable. "I don't like it," he said quietly. "But I know I'll have to train. I don't want any other things to happen to anyone, I don't want people to die like Cedric did."

Neville gave him a sympathetic look. "Yeah, I miss him too," he said sincerely. "But I know he wouldn't blame you, and neither do I."

"Thanks. But Nev, before you go, can you promise me something?"

"Yeah. Anything."

"Please don't tell anyone else about this yet. I figured I'd tell you first because the prophecy could've been about you. But I'm not ready to tell the others just yet."

Neville stared at him solemnly. "I promise," he said with all the conviction he could. "Shall we shake on it?"

"Sure," Harry replied, and the two boys shook hands. They felt closer to each other now than they'd been yesterday; after all, they shared a bond of brotherhood, for the prophecy had concerned them both.

"Time to go, Neville," said Mrs. Longbottom. Everyone walked into the living room.

"Goodbye, Nev. Thanks for coming," Harry said, embracing his friend one more time. "Maybe I'll see you later this summer, okay?"

"Okay," Neville agreed. "Thanks for everything, Harry."

"No problem. Goodbye, Mrs. Longbottom. It was a pleasure to meet you."

"Goodbye, Mr. Potter. Have a good day. And that goes for you too, Mr. Black and Mr. Lupin."

The two nodded their thanks, and the two Longbottoms, one looking stern and the other still looking shocked by the events of the day, travelled back to their house by floo.

"Well done, cub," Remus said as Harry sighed in relief. "We don't know what to say in order to tell you how proud we are of you."

Harry blushed. "Thanks," he mumbled. "I'm just glad he knows now."

"You did the right thing, kiddo," Sirius said, smiling at Harry and ruffling his hair affectionately. "You definitely did the right thing."

Harry smiled, gazing at his guardians. Even though it was still hard sometimes to get over his anger with them, he knew, as he'd admitted to himself before, that they'd meant well. And how could he stay angry at two people who had given him a home, and showed him what love and affection truly felt like? He knew they loved him, and as he continued to stare at them with a small smile, he knew he loved them just as much.


	46. Birthday Disaster

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thanks so much for the reviews, guys! For the reviewer who asked me whether Neville and Harry will become as close as Cedric and Harry were, the answer is that they will be close, but not the same kind of clos. Harry and Neville will forever be bonded by the prophecy. And as for Cedric, there will be no one that can replace him, and recreate the big-brotherly bond that he and Harry had.

To my other reviewer, that's okay for not reviewing chapter 44. Believe me, I know how frustrating term papers can be, I was there myself! As for your question about whether Harry and Neville would have been close if Harry was raised in the wizarding world since he was a baby, that's an interesting question! I always imagine they would be quite clos.

Okay, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 46: Birthday Disaster

Sirius and Remus were shocked at how far Harry had come in his trust of them. They had thought that after not telling him the prophecy, he would be angry with them for a long, long time. During the first weeks after Cedric's death, it was true that Harry had been rather short-tempered, and had not said much of anything. But now, it seemed as though Harry was extremely grateful that his guardians helped him get through the grief of losing one of his best friends. His tears for Cedric had still not abated, and his nightmares plagued him every night, and he'd see the green light engulfing his friend many, many times.

"We know it's been a really rough month for you, cub," said Remus gently. "And we know your birthday's coming up. Last year you had a little party. Do you want to have one again this year?"

"I really don't want a big fuss," Harry admitted.

"We won't make it big," Sirius promised. "Just a few people, that's all. Do you want anyone to come?"

"Okay," Harry sighed. "The Weasleys, Hermione, the Diggorys, Neville, and Cho." His heart filled with pain at the thought that Cedric had come last year, and the two of them had grown a lot closer. He decided to invite the Diggorys because he felt he still owed them, and they had been so good to him since Cedric had died.

"Okay, pup," said Sirius. "We'll send out invitations."

xxx

July 31 rolled around before anyone knew it. Unfortunately, the night before, Harry had had a really rough night. He'd once again seen Cedric's murder over and over again, and he'd also seen Jeff, Stanley, and Malcolm, the boys who had confronted him at Cedric's funeral. So therefore, when he woke up on his birthday morning, he was not a happy person.

Sirius and Remus did all they could to cheer him up, with Sirius becoming an Animagus and making soft woofing noises in the boy's ear. He told him afterwards that he'd always used to do that when Harry was a baby. Harry got a homemade chocolate cake and plenty of presents, which he was very thankful for, but he couldn't seem to get into the spirit today.

Later that afternoon, Hermione, the Weasleys, Neville, the Diggorys, and Cho showed up. Poor Cho still looked completely grief-stricken, and it seemed as though she was having a hard time sleeping. Harry couldn't blame her; seeing your boyfriend's lifeless body on the Quidditch pitch, eyes staring at the sky, would do that to a person.

The atmosphere of the party was subdued, because everyone noticed that Harry was not in the best of spirits. Ron tried to lighten things up by suggesting a game of Quidditch, which caused Cho to finally give a weak smile and Harry to relent. So teams were set up, and a little game was played outside. The sun was shining high in the sky, and everyone tried their best to be cheerful. But Cedric's absence showed more than ever, and the Diggorys were constant reminders of it. Mrs. Diggory looked like she'd been walking around in a haze, and Mr. Diggory was trying to keep a strong front.

After the Quidditch match was over, with Harry's team winning because Harry had caught the Snitch, everyone trooped back inside the house.

"God, I'm starved," said Ron loudly as everyone sat down at the table, ready for pizza and cake.

Sirius burst out laughing. "Aren't you always?" he chuckled.

"Aw, ickle Ronniekins, food is on its way," said Fred.

"Hey, you want a piece of candy?" said George.

"No, he doesn't," said Hermione sternly. "He's not falling for that again, are you, Ron?"

"Frederick and George Weasley," said their mother. "Put that candy away this instant. If it's another Ton-Tongue Toffee, I swear I'll ..."

"Molly, calm down," said Arthur, putting a hand on his wife's shoulder. "They're just having a bit of fun."

Neville sat down next to Harry, looking warily around the table. Of course, he had still not recovered from all the news Harry had told him recently. Everyone else at the party just assumed he was still having a hard time with the revelation that Barty Crouch, Jr. had taught them all year.

Sirius and Remus got the pizza ready, and before long, everyone was eating it. Ginny smiled at Harry from his other side, and he smiled gratefully back at her. Out of all his friends, Cho and Ginny seemed to know what he needed the most; Cho, because she was having a rough time herself, and Ginny, because she seemed to have a certain bond with him, a certain link that helped her understand his feelings. She didn't give him looks of pity or keep demanding whether he was all right; she was just a comforting presence, sitting next to him and squeezing his shoulder every once in a while.

After the pizza was over, Sirius and Remus brought out a cake which remus had cooked, which looked like a bludger. This got everyone to smile and laugh, and Harry blew the candles out.

"Make a wish, Harry," Ginny said softly.

I wish that no one else will have to suffer because of Voldemort, Harry hoped fervently. But he knew this wish was unlikely to come true, but he couldn't stop himself from thinking it anyway.

Once again, the two renditions of "Happy Birthday" were sung: the ugly rendition and the beautiful rendition. Ginny and Cho both had very pretty singing voices, and Fred and George were mucking about as usual. The Diggorys gave Harry loving looks while they were singing, and Harry once again wondered what he'd done to deserve them.

After cake was eaten, Harry was becoming rather overwhelmed with all the company. The house was becoming stifling, but he didn't know how to say to everyone that he wanted them all to go home. He'd opened all his presents from his friends, receiving wonderful surprises, but he was exhausted now. From beside him, Ginny squeezed Harry's shoulder and asked him a question.

"Want to go for a walk?"

Yes, that was exactly what Harry needed. A breath of fresh air. He nodded at Ginny, and then went over to Sirius and Remus, telling them what he needed. They reassured him that that was fine, and they said they'd tell the other guests that he needed a little space.

So Ginny and Harry walked outside into the fresh air. The sun was just beginning to set, and there were a few people out on the streets as they walked, but not many. Harry didn't want to be around lots of people, so they walked on the Hogsmeade streets which were not occupied by large amounts of citizens.

As they walked, Harry said, "Thanks, Gin."

"For what?" Ginny asked.

"For getting me out of there," Harry said quietly. "I mean, it's a great party and all, but ..."

"I know," said Ginny, giving Harry a soft look. "I know. You don't need to explain."

They walked in silence, hand in hand for a few more minutes. "Have you heard anything more about Percy?" Harry then wondered.

"No," said Ginny, her face becoming angry. "Dad can't seem to get through to him. He refuses to talk to any of us."

"That's awful," Harry said, feeling a knot of guilt tighten in his stomach. After all, Percy had left the family after what Harry and Dumbledore said about Voldemort being back.

"Harry James Potter," Ginny said at once. "don't you dare feel guilty. Percy's being a stubborn prat, and you have nothing to do with it."

"But ..." Harry tried.

"But nothing," Ginny argued. "Look, Harry, Percy's always been like that. He's been obsessed with the Ministry ever since I can remember. His dream's always been to work there."

"I'm just worried that there'll be an attack and nobody will be prepared," Harry said, biting his lip in concern.

"I know," Ginny sighed. "But I guess he'll have to learn the hard way. But he is my brother, and I hope he's all right in the end."

"Me, too."

"I wonder who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher will be this year," said Ginny thoughtfully. "Wouldn't it be cool if Remus came back?"

"It would, but he said the school governors won't allow it," Harry said unhappily. "He said that ..."

Harry and Ginny suddenly stopped in their tracks, for everything had gone dark. "What's going on?" Ginny asked as she stood closer to him.

"I don't know," Harry admitted. "Do you have your wand with you?"

"Yeah. Do you?"

"I do."

A horrible, foreboding sense of dread swept over the couple. Seconds later it was followed by a horrible, bitter sensation of cold. They hadn't felt this particular way for a while. Voices suddenly began to scream inside their heads.

"... Tom Riddle always gets what he wants! ... You are nothing but a silly little girl, Ginevra Weasley. You opened up the Chamber of Secrets. You set the basilisk on the school."

"... very well. Avada Kedavra! Awwww, are you cwying, Hawwy? Are you sad that your wittle fwiend is dead? Your pwotector is dead, Potter!"

Ginny and Harry both began to tremble, and Ginny almost collapsed. Two shapes made themselves clear out of the darkness; they had hoods over their faces, and their breath rattled and was rotten and putrid. Their icy, clammy hands reached for the two humans ... reached for them ...

"My God," Harry said in shock. "Dementors!"

"... Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off. ... Not Harry! Not Harry! Please, not Harry! Take me, kill me instead! ..."

"... You are just a waste of time, Ginevra. But oh, I must thank you, for you have made me powerful once again. ... But you're nothing but a stupid little bitch for falling for me. How naive can you possibly be?"

Harry raised his wand in his trembling hand. He tried his best to think of a happy memory, one that did not involve his parents and Cedric's deaths nor Uncle Vernon nor Barty Crouch, Jr. He thought of the day when he'd learned his godfather was innocent. "Expecto patronum!" he cried.

Silver mist came out of his wand, but it did not hold the dementors at bay for long. Harry managed to get one away before it bent over Ginny and sucked out her soul. But it came swooping back, adamant to finish its job.

By this time, tears were pouring down Ginny's face as the memory of Tom's assault overpowered her. The cruel words he'd used, the harsh way in which he'd treated her, all came back in terrible, vivid detail. Harry heard the voice of his Uncle Vernon telling him the abuse was exactly what he deserved. Trying to focus on the happy memory again, Harry shouted, "Expecto patronum!"

Another blob of silver mist shot out of his wand, but once again it didn't stay long.

Harry was getting desperate. He dredged up every happy memory he could ever find. Ginny had now collapsed to the floor and was lying there, shaking from head to foot. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry roared.

This time, a huge, silver stag shot out of his wand, which finally drove the two foul beasts away. Harry was so relieved. He couldn't let Ginny get hurt because of him as well, because obviously the dementors were here for him. Voldemort must have sent them, he thought as the street grew light again. Oh God, what've I done to Gin?

She was still lying on the floor, tears streaming down her face. Harry called her name, hoping beyond hope that she was able to respond to him. He crouched by her, squeezing her hand gently. "They're gone now, Gin," he said softly. "The dementors are gone."

Ginny slowly got herself into a sitting position. "Are you o-okay?" she gasped out, still shivering violently.

"Yeah, I'm fine. How about you?"

"That was h-horrible," Ginny stuttered. "What were d-dementors doing in Hogsmeade?"

"Voldemort must have-I'm sorry, You-Know-Who must have sent them," Harry said defeatedly. "I'm so sorry, Gin, we never should have done this. It's my fault again. First Cedric and now you!"

"Harry, it wasn't your fault You-Know-Who's dementors got here," Ginny said bravely, struggling to her feet. "But I w-wonder how he got them away from the M-Ministry's control."

"I don't know, but I don't like it," Harry said, wondering how many more things were going to go wrong in his life. The couple supported each other's weight on the way home, both shaken and looking awfully pale.

As they got to the front door, Ginny's stomach roiled within her and she threw up all over the ground. Once she was finished her hands were clammy and sweaty. Harry knocked wildly on the door, hoping that Sirius or Remus would sense that something had gone wrong.

Sure enough, he heard running footsteps, and Sirius and Mrs. Weasley rushed outside. When they saw the mess on the ground and the couple's pallor, they were immediately shocked and concerned.

"Ginny, sweetheart, what happened?" asked Mrs. Weasley, waving her wand and making the sick vanish. "What on Earth is the matter?"

"Harry, are you okay, kiddo?" Sirius asked. "You look like hell."

"D-Dementors," Ginny gasped as she was helped up to her feet.

"WHAT?" cried Mrs. Weasley shrilly. "What are you talking about? Dementors in Hogsmeade? Where?"

"T-Two of them," Harry said. "We were walking and then two dementors showed up. I-I used the Patronus charm."

"You've got to be joking," Sirius said fiercely, cradling Harry close to him. Remus then arrived, hearing the tail end of the story. "Remus, we have to contact Albus. I want to know what the bloody hell dementors were doing in the middle of Hogsmeade!"

Through the haze in his mind, Harry suddenly remembered something that made his face grow paler. "They'll expel me from Hogwarts!" he cried weakly. "I'm not allowed to do magic outside of school!"

"But this was a life-or-death situation," Remus protested. "The Ministry would be mad to expel you. I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will sort it all out."

"He'd better," muttered Sirius. "We'd better go inside."

"It's time we went home," said Mrs. Weasley. "Ginny darling, you need to get into bed. I can't believe this happened! Arthur! Arthur, come here!"

While Mr. Weasley heard the story, Harry was helped inside by his two guardians, who cast him extremely worried looks. "We think we should send everyone else home, too," Remus said. "You look terrible, Harry. I think some rest will do you good."

Harry was too exhausted and drained to disagree. As the news of what had happened spread throughout the house, the atmosphere grew very quiet and tense. Everyone started leaving, and saying soft goodbyes to Harry.

Once all the guests had gone, Harry was given some chocolate by Remus, and this helped the warmth fill his body once more. He looked at his guardian gratefully.

Suddenly, an owl hooted and swooped in the window. It was carrying a letter on its leg, and it flew over to Harry. With dread mounting, Harry untied the letter from its leg and opened it. "I knew it," he muttered as he began to read.

Dear Mr. Potter,

We have just received word that at 7:49 PM, you performed the Patronus charm on a street in Hogsmeade. Underage wizards are banned from using magic outside of school. Therefore, you have been expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ministry officials will be by shortly to collect your wand.

We hope you have a pleasant day.

Yours sincerely,

Mafalda Hopkirk, Improper Use of Magic Office

Everything seemed to be happening at once. As the owl flew away, a booming voice said, "Sirius! Remus!" from the fireplace. The voice belonged to Albus Dumbledore.

So as his two guardians rushed into the living room to talk to him, Harry put his head in his hands, wondering what in the world was going to happen to him now. Was he going to be expelled, or was he safe? Well, safe shouldn't be a word he could use at all. Two dementors had almost sucked out his and Ginny's souls.

What on Earth was going to become of him now?


	47. Back to Court

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Hey all, and thanks for the reviews! To my one reviewer, I do realize there were a couple of issues in the last chapter. Your questions will be answered, the questions you asked about why the dementors were sent to Hogsmeade when there could have been so many witnesses, and the other question about how they knew it was him casting the spell, since he was with an underaged witch. One of those will be answered in this chapter, and the other one will be answered in a much later installment.

To my other reviewer, I'm glad you find Cho more likable in this story. A lot of people in the fandom hated her after how she behaved in OotP, and it sometimes feels to me like I'm the only one who still had sympathy for her. I think she behaved badly because she didn't have any closure for a lot of the book, and hardly had any support. Until that Rita Skeeter article came out, she didn't know all the details of what had happened to Cedric. We know Dumbledore gave that speech at the end of GoF, but he didn't give all the details, like whether Cedric had suffered before he died or anything like that. I think Cho was just looking for answers and went about it the wrong way. But many people who are grieving act badly. It's the nature of it, really.

As for Luna, I will definitely include her in this story. I found her fascinating in canon.

Also, thanks for saying you liked how I portrayed Lily and James in the Priori Incantatem scene. That's the one thing I didn't like about the scene in the real canon. I know they didn't have long, that Harry was trying to get out of an awful situation, but I would have liked them to tell him at least once that they loved him. At least in the movie, Lily called him "sweetheart," and I teared up a little. But thanks for saying you enjoyed how I wrote it! Believe me, though, I'm not trying to say I know better than JKR. After all, she gave us this world to play in!

Okay, here's the next chapter!

Chapter 47: Back to Court

When Sirius and Remus were finished talking with Dumbledore and wandered back into the kitchen, Harry was still sitting with his head in his hands. "I guess I'm done with Hogwarts, then," he said miserably as they sat down at the table with him. "And I guess I'm no longer a proper wizard, right?"

"No, cub," Remus said gently. "Dumbledore's trying to sort it all out. No one's coming to collect your wand. I don't think they're going to expel you from Hogwarts, but I'm afraid you're going to have to go back to court."

Harry looked horrified. "Back to court?" he squeaked. "Why?"

"A hearing," said Sirius disgustedly. "But don't worry, they're going to keep it quiet like Vernon's trial in December. You'll get a chance to explain your side of the story, but I think it's terrible that they don't believe you."

"How did the Ministry know it was me that cast the spell?" Harry asked, biting his lip.

"You're the only underaged wizard they know of that can cast the Patronus Charm, cub," Remus replied. "And your form is a stag, and the Ministry knows that too. You see, when that particular charm is cast, the magical detectors can tell them what form it took."

"And all they do is assume," Sirius said with a scowl. "After all, if it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have spent twelve years in Azkaban, would I?"

Harry looked at Sirius with sadness. "You're right," he sighed resignedly. "When's the hearing?" he mumbled.

"A week's time," Remus replied. "Dumbledore is also going to talk to the Weasleys. It may be possible for Ginny to come as well to support you and tell the Wizengamot what she witnessed."

"Okay," said Harry. "Fine. But why doesn't Fudge believe me? I had to watch my best friend die last month, and now, me and another of my friend's souls almost get sucked out and he still doesn't believe Voldemort's back!"

"As you've heard before, kiddo, he's just afraid to face the truth," said Sirius. "Unfortunately, Dumbledore's been voted off as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. There was even a question of whether he'd be allowed back as Headmaster, because of Cedric's death."

"They're blaming him for that?" Harry said angrily. "That's ridiculous!"

xxx

That night, as Harry slept, he dreamed of the two dementors sneaking up on him and Ginny. But this time, one of them succeeded in sucking out Ginny's soul. The girl lay limply on the ground, still breathing but unresponsive. He woke up in a cold sweat, not being able to stop the tears that streamed down his face. That dream had come so close to being reality.

Meanwhile, as he lay awake rehashing the awful events in his mind, other occurrences were happening. In Riddle Manor, Lord Voldemort sat on a throne in the master bedroom, with Bellatrix, Peter, and many other Death Eaters on their knees before him. Severus Snape was also among them, trying his hardest to keep a straight face behind his mask.

Throughout the past month, he'd begun to grow accustomed to life with the Dark Lord. At least he was away from those brats the Headmaster called children, but at the same time, being stuck with a group of sociopaths wasn't exactly the most wonderful thing in the world. Not only that, but Bellatrix Lestrange was also trying at every opportunity to get at him, because she did not trust him. Every day Snape was there, he was reminded constantly of the terrible mistake he'd made in his youth: joining the Death Eaters in the first place.

He also felt lucky to be alive, because he had been extremely ill the night of the Dark Lord's return. He'd been so weak that even when he felt his dark mark burn, he couldn't Apparate. When he was finally better and went to Voldemort's side, he was tortured to within an inch of his life. He was finally able to persuade the monster in front of him that he could be useful once again. He thought he was dead for sure, but Lord Voldemort had finally been persuaded that there wasn't a better Potions Master in all of Britain. It had taken all Snape's strength to return to Hogwarts after that meeting, and it was due to the efficiency of Madame Pomfrey that he was still here today.

"Rise, my faithful brethren," said Voldemort quietly, his voice holding a note of menace. Obediently, the Death Eaters rose as one. "SNAPE!" he roared.

"Yes, my Lord?" said Snape, stepping forward so he was inches away from Voldemort.

"You know that I have wished for you to contact Dumbledore at opportune times," hissed Voldemort. "What does the old fool say about young Mr. Potter?"

Snape braced himself to say what he had to. He and Dumbledore had talked just this evening, and the Headmaster had told him of the dementor attack that had taken place in Hogsmeade. Thinking that the Dark Lord must have sent the beasts, he asked Severus to give him the news that Harry had not been harmed.

"My Lord," said Snape silkily, "that was a most fabulous idea for you to send the dementors to Hogsmeade tonight during his pathetic little birthday party."

Voldemort was taken aback for a moment, and it was almost humorous to see the confusion on his face. Then the confusion changed to a look of complete mirth. Voldemort let out a high, cold laugh, followed by the shrieking laughter of the Death Eaters.

"Ah, Severus," he purred. "That was most ingenious of you and that pitiable Headmaster to think that I was the one to send them. I only wish I had been."

"You mean," said Snape, "you did not?"

"That is correct, Severus," said Voldemort. "Somebody else obviously has it in for Mr. Potter as well."

Bellatrix crowed in triumph. When Voldemort looked at her to give her the signal that she could speak, she screeched, "My Lord, who do you think it could be? You know that idiot Fudge is refusing to believe of your magnificent return to us. Do you think someone in his Ministry is trying to get Potter killed or expelled?"

"It is possible, Bella," smirked Voldemort. "Is Potter now ... soulless?"

"I am afraid not, my Lord," said Snape. "He cast the Patronus Charm. I told you before that that mongrel Lupin taught it to him in his third year, am I correct?"

Voldemort's face grew red with fury. "That you did. Why does that boy keep eluding fate?" he snarled. "He needs to die, and as soon as possible!"

Wormtail chuckled. Voldemort looked at him, and he said, "Lily and James were just the same, my Lord. But f-fate got them in the end, d-didn't it? You are the most powerful wizard in the world, y-you were the one to end their p-pathetic lives."

Voldemort's face broke out into a twisted smile. "Indeed, Wormtail," he said. "Snape! Any news on the prophecy?"

"Black and the others are taking turns guarding it every night," said Snape, getting ready for a punishment.

Sure enough, Voldemort pointed his wand at the Potions Master, shouting sinisterly, "Crucio!" Snape fell to the ground, writhing in agony. But he did not scream out. He had taught himself to keep in control while his dose of punishments were being given; his Occlumency skills had made that easier.

"Ah, you still do not scream for me Severus," Voldemort said in a disappointed tone once he lifted the curse. "I do hope you have better news for me next time. Malfoy!"

Lucius Malfoy bowed to his Lord and rose, waiting for the other man to go on.

"You will watch over your son, will you not?" Voldemort said softly. "You will make sure he teaches the Slytherins next year that Dumbledore's side is the wrong side to pick in this war. Since Snape is now here full-time, I will need someone else to take on that job."

"He is glad to do that for you, my Lord," said Lucius. "He cannot wait to join you."

"That is good, my slippery friend," said Voldemort. "As for when this war starts, we will not bring ourselves out in the open yet. My plans are going better than even I expected. Has the Potter boy been expelled from Hogwarts?"

"That old fool talked the Minister into allowing him a trial," Snape sneered.

Voldemort let out a roar of anger. He crucioed Snape again, the curse more intense than ever, but still the other man did not scream.

Once Voldemort had calmed down a little and released him from the curse, he went on, "But oh, it will be sweet to hear of the flak he gets from his little friend Diggory's death. Yes, Bella?"

"Exactly, my Lord!" shrieked Bellatrix. "It will be delicious to hear of his weakness. He is known for his heroics in all circles, he will do anything to save the life of another, even sacrifice his own."

"I am sure we can use that to our advantage," whispered Voldemort. "DISMISSED!" he barked. "Get out of my sight!"

As everyone left, the Dark Lord made himself comfortable on his throne, sipping a glass of wine. Things were more brilliant than he'd imagined. Cornelius Fudge and the Ministry were playing right into his hands, and Albus Dumbledore was a weak, sentimental fool, as always. But the fury he felt was unimaginable as he thought of Harry Potter. But as Wormtail had said, fate would get him in the end, and Voldemort himself would bring him down.

xxx

The next week passed slowly and agonizingly for Harry. He was talked through what he should say at the hearing by Sirius and Remus, and he was also told that Ginny would be allowed to talk since she was a witness to the event. They would also be allowed to show their memories, even though Harry's guardians told him that many might think they were falsified.

On the day of the hearing, Harry portkeyed to the Ministry just as he had done for Vernon's trial. He closed his eyes as the portkey whizzed him along, feeling sick as he remembered the last time he'd used one. Cedric... he missed him terribly.

When the three of them arrived, they went into the elevator and down to Courtroom Ten. Harry felt butterflies in his stomach as he remembered the chained chair Vernon had sat in, and knew this time he was going to be the one to bear that burden.

When they walked into the room, he saw Ginny and her father sitting in chairs. Fudge was also there, along with Kingsley Shacklebolt, a woman Sirius told him was Amelia Bones, and another squat woman who looked exactly like a toad. She was wearing a frilly pink cardigan and had bows in her hair. "Who is that?" Harry whispered to his guardians.

Sirius's face was stony with anger. "Dolores Umbridge," he growled. "She used to work for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Made some very strict anti-werewolf laws back in the day. Now she's the undersecretary to Fudge."

Also sitting in a chair, looking important and smug, was Percy Weasley. Harry felt slightly ill as he looked at him. Percy, who'd gone to the Quidditch World Cup last year and seemed friendly enough, even though he was very strict and no-nonsense, was now against him.

Twelve Jurors were also there, looking important. Harry hoped with all his heart that more of them than not would believe his story.

Sirius and Remus squeezed Harry's hands in comfort as he slowly walked over to the chained chair. Harry glanced at Albus Dumbledore as he sat in it; the other man was looking somber. The chains bound his wrists and ankles, and Harry felt like a criminal.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the hearing of Harry James Potter," Cornelius Fudge started. He introduced Percy, Amelia, Kingsley, and Umbridge, and then gave a summary of what the hearing was about. Harry knew that Sirius and Remus would be talking today as well; they were going to inform the Wizengamot about how shaken Harry looked when he arrived home.

"So, Harry Potter," said Fudge, looking smugly at the teenager. "Would you please explain to us what happened on July 31, which also happened to be your fifteenth birthday?"

"Yes, sir," said Harry. "Ginny Weasley and I were taking a walk, and suddenly, it went all cold, and everything grew dark. We started ... hearing things ... in our heads."

"Hearing things in your head?" Fudge interrupted.

"Yes, sir," said Harry uncomfortably. "Then two shadowy figures snuck up on us, and one of them bent down over Ginny."

"Is it true that you used magic outside of school grounds?"

"Yes, but ..."

"And you're absolutely sure you were in danger?"

"Yes, sir, the dementor was about to finish off Ginny."

"Are you positive that that's what you saw, Harry?"

"Yes, sir," Harry said between clenched teeth.

"Excuse me, Mr. Potter," said the toadlike woman in a sweet, sugary, syrupy voice, "but why, do you think, that two dementors managed to sneak up on you in the middle of Hogsmeade? Every single dementor is in the Ministry's control."

"Excuse me, but if I may intervene," spoke Dumbledore in an authoritative tone, "but if this does not make it obvious that Lord Voldemort is back ..."

Dumbledore had not heard from Snape for over a week, so didn't know whether it had really been Voldemort who'd sent the dementors, but he was going to try his damned hardest to get the Ministry to understand the danger that was currently in their world.

"Excuse me, Dumbledore, but HE IS NOT BACK!" shouted Fudge. "It's impossible!"

Harry felt anger bubbling up inside him. "Pardon me, Minister, but I saw him murder Cedric Diggory in cold blood," he snarled. "Who do you think killed him if it wasn't Voldemort?" Every time the name was mentioned, there was a shudder that went through the courtroom.

"Do not speak back to me, young man," Fudge spat. "A Death Eater may have killed him, but it can't have been You-Know-Who."

Harry glowered at Fudge, knowing he'd say something he'd regret if he opened his mouth again.

"No more questions," said Fudge tersely. "I will, however, ask you to supply the memory." Shacklebolt walked over to him and handed him his wand, which he had taken when Harry got to the courtroom. Unbeinding his hands from the chair for just a second, he allowed Harry to put it to his temple and withdraw the memory of the dementor attack.

Fudge put it into a Pensieve which was sitting on the prosecution table, and allowed it to play for everyone to see. There was a way you could show a memory without actually diving into the Pensieve itself; this method was like watching something on a Muggle TV screen. Once everyone had seen it, Fudge looked livid. He then called Ginny to the stand, asking her all kinds of probing questions. He even asked her what memory she had relived if indeed these dementors had come near, and Shacklebolt bellowed, "Objection!" Amelia Bones sustained it, so thankfully, Ginny didn't have to answer. She also supplied the memory of the event, which was shown through the Pensieve as well.

After this, Sirius and Remus were next, both of them explaining how the couple had arrived back at home looking totally shaken up. Ginny had thrown up, and Harry had looked dizzy. "I gave him some chocolate," Remus informed everyone. "That always helps to reverse the effects of dementors."

After it was over, Fudge asked the members of the jury whether they thought Harry should be cleared of all charges. As Harry looked at everyone's faces, he felt a surge of hope. Most people were gazing sympathetically at him, but there were still a few who looked doubtful. Fortunately, there were less of the doubters, so Harry hoped like hell that he wouldn't be expelled. If he was, what would he do? That would be asking for Voldemort to attack if he had his wand taken away from him. He'd be vulnerable and die immediately, and then the wizarding world would have no hope. Harry still couldn't believe he was the only human being on the entire planet who could beat him.

"Everyone who believes Harry should be convicted," said Fudge, "should raise their hands now." His hand went up, along with the toadlike woman's and a few other members of the jury. "Who says he should be cleared?" he asked, his face turning red with anger as many hands went up.

"Cleared of all charges," he said furiously, and Amelia Bones banged her gavel. Harry felt a surge of relief sweep through him. He hadn't been expelled from Hogwarts! He felt the restraining binds loosen, and he got up out of the chained chair, Sirius and Remus hurrying to his side. Ginny also came over and hugged him, looking mightily relieved herself. "Thank Merlin," she whispered. "Thank Merlin. You got off."

"Yeah," said Harry as Sirius ruffled his hair and Remus patted him on the back.

"You did a great job holding it together in there," Sirius said once they had left the courtroom. "I've never known such an obnoxious Minister of Magic. And that Umbridge woman, I loathe her," he griped, looking at Remus, who gave him a gentle smile.

xxx

Ginny came back to 804, Lawdershod Avenue, with the two Marauders and their pup. The rest of the Weasleys and Hermione arrived by floo a minute later. When Harry told them what had happened at the hearing, they all swept him into hugs, and Fred and George pounded him on the back. "He got off! He got off! He got off! He got off!" they chanted.

"Fred! George! Leave the poor boy alone, he's exhausted!" scolded Mrs. Weasley. "We're only staying for a little while, children. Harry needs his rest."

They all had lunch together, and then the Weasleys left, leaving Harry with his guardians for the rest of the day. He couldn't express in words how completely relieved he was. He was grateful that Dumbledore had stuck up for him, and he was also thankful that he'd had Ginny there to give the story as well; he knew how much she hated dementors, so it had been a big step on her part to be brave enough to go through with reliving the ordeal.

As Harry went to sleep that night, he thought of the school year that was ahead of him. It was less than a month away now, and needless to say, he felt as though every bug imaginable was crawling around in his stomach. After how those Hufflepuffs had acted at Cedric's funeral, he shuddered to think how others in the school would react to his presence. He didn't want to think about going on living without Cedric and his friendship, but that was unfortunately what he was facing. But he knew he had the others, and Sirius and Remus were being as helpful as ever. He couldn't help but think about what Voldemort was up to, and still felt anger whenever he thought about Snape. But he knew, as his eyes closed, that what would come would come, and he'd have to face the obstacles as they arose. Even if Voldemort attacked him tomorrow, he'd try to live his life to the fullest.


	48. Not a Promising Start

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Hey, and thanks for the reviews!

To my one reviewer, the reason why they put Harry in the chained chair? Well, Fudge thinks Harrys crazy! Of course I think it's a stupid thing to do, but Cornelius Fudge is an idiot! What else can I say?

As to people knowing Harry can cast the Patronus Charm, remember the Quidditch match in PoA where Draco and some other Slytherins dressed up as Dementors? The whole school saw him do it, and I was actually surprised when more people didn't know about it in canon. In my fic, the students at the school told their parents and relatives, so that's how it got back to Amelia Bones.

As for your other questions, remember that I will answer them in due time, like the question you had about why the dementors were sent to Hogsmeade.

To my other reviewer, I'm glad I'm not the only one who had sympathy for Cho in canon. She's a trauma survivor, and deserves our sympathy.

And to my other reviewer, no, Harry and Ginny aren't dating yet. They're just really close friends.

Okay, here's the next chapter!

Chapter 48: Not a Promising Start

On the night before Harry was to go back to Hogwarts, he, Sirius, and Remus were sitting in their living room. The two men had told Harry there were a couple of things they needed to talk to him about.

"So, what's up, guys?" Harry asked as he made himself comfortable on the couch.

"First of all," Sirius said, "we need to tell you about your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year." It didn't sound promising, because Sirius had an angry look on his face.

"Who's it going to be?" Harry asked, curious nonetheless.

"Dumbledore couldn't find anyone himself," said Remus, "so the Ministry had to pick someone. I'm afraid it's going to be Dolores Umbridge."

"You mean, the woman who was at my hearing?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Yeah," said Sirius, sighing. "And we need to stress to you that she doesn't believe Voldemort's back. She's the kind of person that'll do anything possible to provoke you. You mustn't lose your temper; that'll only make the situation worse. You have to keep your cool at all times. Just know that we believe you, all right?"

Harry let out an unhappy sigh. "Yeah, I guess," he said. His guardians put comforting arms around him.

"Right, that's settled," said Remus. "The second thing we need to tell you is that the school governors won't let me come to the school full-time, but I will be there a few hours a day to counsel people who need to talk after the tragic events of last year. I think it's important that after such an occurrence, people let their feelings out. I will also be continuing to do sessions with you once a week, with Sirius coming along with me. We will also continue with your Occlumency training, and teach you other spells you will need to know for what's to come."

"Okay," Harry said. "That's good. But isn't Umbridge against werewolves?"

"Yes," Remus said quietly. "But Dumbledore's still Headmaster. As long as he runs the school, I'll be able to come."

"Good," Harry replied.

"And one more thing," Sirius said. "Don't let Horace Slughorn get to you. As we told you before, he's obsessed with famous people, and he'll try to hound stories out of you, especially last year's events. Just try to keep your distance from him, and if he harasses you during Potions, please tell one of us. You still have the mirror, right?"

"Yeah, I do," Harry replied.

"Good, good," said Remus. "All right, it's time you went to bed. You've got a busy day tomorrow."

xxx

The next day, they apparated to King's Cross station, and went through the barrier to platform nine and three-quarters. Harry saw the Weasleys and Hermione waiting for him. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley hugged him and said hello, and the twins bowed to him and said, "Hello, O Humble Sir!" causing a small smile to break out on Harry's face. Hermione and Ginny hugged him as well, and Ron did his usual pounding on the back.

"See ya, kiddo," said Sirius, holding his godson close. "We'll see you next week, okay?"

"Look after yourself, Harry," said Remus, joining the embrace. "Remember what we said, okay? Promise us."

"I promise," said Harry.

"Good," his guardians said, and the train whistle blew. Harry jumped on, and he, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny found a compartment while Fred and George went to search for Lee Jordan.

Until the train rounded the corner, Harry and his friends waved to the remaining Weasleys, Sirius, and Remus. Sirius had turned into the black dog again, just like last year, and was barking playfully. Everyone laughed, and then the train was past the corner.

A few minutes later, Neville and Cho found the compartment they were sitting in, and came to join them. Neville was holding a plant in his hands, and he said it was called a Mimbulus Mimbletonia. Cho was staring out the window; it was obvious that she was still depressed over Cedric. The fact that he wouldn't be here this year, and never would be again, hung over the compartment like a wreath of gloom. Everyone tried to make conversation to try to cheer her up.

After talking about the rest of their summers for awhile, Harry thought it was prudent to mention the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. In a low voice, he told his friends what Sirius and Remus had said, and everyone looked angry, especially Cho.

"She sounds like a real bitch," said Ron at once, clenching and unclenching his fists. "She'd better not give you a hard time."

Ginny reached out and squeezed Harry's hand comfortingly. "I think Sirius and Remus told you the right thing," she said softly. "Just try to ignore her."

"Ronald, don't swear," said Hermione promptly. "But yes, she doesn't sound like a nice person at all."

"At least Snape'll be gone this year," said Ron. Harry and Neville exchanged a quick look.

"Yeah," said Neville. "Thank Merlin."

"You should watch out for Slughorn, though, like your guardians said," added Cho, still staring out the window. "I've heard of him before. He was the Potions Master when my mum was at Hogwarts."

"Really?" asked Ginny. "What did your mum think of him?"

"She said he's very annoying," Cho replied.

"Oh, that's not good," said Ron.

The lady with the trolley came by, and everyone bought some candy. Ron started to grumble, because Mrs. Weasley had packed corned beef sandwiches for him, Hermione, and Ginny. "When will Mum learn I DESPISE corned beef?" he groaned.

"Ron, you know she means well," said Hermione crossly. "You should be grateful."

"Hmmph," said Ron. "I still hate it."

"Here, have a chocolate frog," Cho offered, handing it to Ron, who gave her a grateful look.

"Hey, I got Grindelwald," he said, holding the card in his hand. "It says that he was the old Dark Lord who was defeated by Dumbledore in 1945."

"That's right," declared Harry. "I remember that."

The six friends enjoyed their food, but Cedric's absence still hung in the air. Harry missed his smile, his kind spirit, and his friendship. But it was good to know that the others were still there, and that Ginny was still around. Harry was still having nightmares about what would have happened if she'd been kissed by one of the dementors on his birthday.

A very unpleasant scene occurred, though, when the compartment door flew open, and Draco Malfoy stood there, Crabbe and Goyle at his side. Harry let out a groan of annoyance.

"So," said Malfoy, smirking at the six. "Enjoying your last moments together, before the Dark Lord finishes you off as well, just like he did Diggory?"

"Shut the hell up, Malfoy," Ron snarled. "Go back to your own Death Eater scum compartment."

Malfoy let out a peal of laughter. "Do you think I'll obey your wishes, Weasel?" he sneered. "And I hear Weaslette was almost kissed by a dementor."

"How do you know that, ferret face?" said Ginny angrily. "Did your daddy tell you? How did he find out?"

Malfoy just smiled. "Never you mind that," he said. "I just thought I'd let you know that you, Granger, will probably be first to die. Filthy little mudbloods don't deserve to live."

Harry, Ron, and Ginny sprang to their feet. Hermione just gave Malfoy an exasperated look, with Cho and Neville bearing looks of fury.

"Please, Harry, Ron, Ginny, it's just Malfoy!" yelled Hermione. "Don't let him provoke you!"

"I'm just telling the honest to God truth, mudblood," sneered Malfoy. "And hey, Chang! Missing your lover boy? Missing Diggory, are you? Sad that you'll have to live without your boyfriend?"

Cho couldn't help the tears that sprang to her eyes. She tried her hardest not to let them show, because she knew Malfoy liked nothing better than to taunt people. But Malfoy saw them, and snickered.

"Oh, you're such a little crybaby," he drawled. "You're so immature and stupid. You'll learn sooner rather than later that the Dark Lord is the most powerful wizard in the world."

"Leave her alone, Malfoy!" Harry shouted furiously, raising his wand even higher. "She's been through enough already!"

Malfoy sidled closer to Harry, Crabbe and Goyle following his every move. "Defending the little baby, Potter?" he whispered maliciously.

"Get out, you scum!" Ron roared. "You have no business here!"

"Don't worry, Weasel, we're leaving," said Malfoy. "I just figured I'd pop by to let you know the cold, hard facts. Bye, losers!" With that, he, Crabbe, and Goyle walked out of the compartment. Harry shot a jelly-legs jinx at him, but they were already out the door.

Ginny put an arm around Cho, who was sobbing into her shoulder. "Come on," she said quietly. "Let's go for a walk." Reluctantly, Cho got out of her seat, and the two girls walked out.

"What a bastard," growled Ron, breathing heavily and sitting down in his seat. Looks of anger were still on everyone's faces.

Neville was shaking with rage, his face white. "How dare he speak to us like that!" he snarled.

Harry gazed at his friends, his temper also close to the breaking point. "I hate him," he shouted. "He had no right to upset Cho like that!"

"How many times do I have to tell you, just ignore him," soothed Hermione. "He's all talk and no action."

"That's easier said than done," grumbled Harry. "I'm going to the bathroom." With that, he also left the compartment.

In the bathroom, he took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down. Malfoy was the most obnoxious creature on the entire planet. Every word that came out of his mouth was vicious and snide. Harry hoped with every fiber of his being that he learned his lesson one day. Anger bubbled up inside him when he thought of his father, behind that mask, in the graveyard, watching as Voldemort murdered one of his best friends.

On the way back to the compartment, he saw a man standing in the hallway, talking to a very interesting-looking girl. The girl had radish earrings, and had her wand behind her ear. Harry swore he'd seen her before; he thought he'd seen her sitting at the Ravenclaw table. The man was extremely fat, and not a speck of hair was on his head.

The man heard Harry's footsteps and turned to face him. He gazed at him with reverence, almost as if worshipping the ground he walked on. "Are you who I think you are?" he boomed, frightening Harry out of his wits. "Are you ... HARRY POTTER?"

"Uh, yeah," said Harry uncomfortably. "Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm just Horace Slughorn," cried the man joyously. He pounded Harry on the shoulder. "So delighted to make your acquaintance! I've heard so much about you from old Dumbledore! This here's Luna Lovegood, her mother was one of the most famous spell inventors in history. How would you like to come and have a spot of tea with us in my compartment?"

"Uh, no thanks," said Harry, his cheeks flushing. No wonder Sirius and Remus had warned him; Slughorn was already unbearable.

"Oh, come on, Harry!" bellowed Slughorn. "It'll be fun!"

"No, I'm really not feeling well, professor," said Harry. "I need to go and rest before we get to Hogwarts."

"Oh, what a shame, what a shame! Well, I'll catch up with you later. Come on, Miss Lovegood!" With that, he and Luna walked away.

Harry let out a great sigh of relief, and walked back to his compartment. When he sat down, he told the others what had happened. Ginny and Cho were back by now; Cho had recovered from her crying episode, but her face was still red and puffy.

"I don't like the sound of that at all," said Ginny, giving Harry a sympathetic look. "I'm glad you got away."

"Yeah," said Harry. "Cho, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, I guess," Cho said sadly. "But why does Malfoy always have to be like that?"

"He gets his kicks from making fun of people," said Neville stonily. "Just ignore him though, Cho. Don't let him get to you."

"I'll try," said Cho.

The rest of the ride went by with no more incidents. When they arrived at Hogwarts, Harry looked for the familiar face of Hagrid as they disembarked from the train. But he was nowhere in sight.

"First years! First years, over here, please!" said a woman's voice. Harry had never seen her before. "Who's that?" he wondered out loud.

"I don't know," said Neville. "I've never seen her before either. I wonder where Hagrid is."

"I've had her before," said Cho. "She substituted for Professor Kettleburn when he was the Care of Magical Creatures teacher. Her name's Professor Grubbly-Plank."

"Grubbly-Plank?" snickered Ron. "What kind of name is that?"

"Ronald!" said Hermione. "That's not nice!"

"Oh, come on!" laughed Ron. "You've got to admit it's funny!" Hermione just glared at him.

The thestrals brought them to the castle, and Harry couldn't help but think of Cedric again. He kept his head down so he wouldn't have to look at the strange-looking animals.

As everyone made their way into the Great Hall, Hagrid was still on Harry's mind. He kept looking for him, but he was still nowhere to be seen.

A few minutes later, Professor McGonnagall walked in with the usual scared crowd of first-years, with the stool and the sorting hat. But something very unusual happened; when the hat began to sing, it didn't sing its usual chipper song. This one was somber; it talked of hard times to come, and that all houses should band together. Harry thought of S.A.N.E, and wholeheartedly agreed with the lyrics. He was more than happy to continue talking with the Slytherins once a week with his friends.

Everyone looked surprised once the hat had finished its song. Slow, hesitant applause followed, and then the sorting began. Ron grumbled the whole time about how he was famished, and Hermione kicked him under the table, giving him a cross look. "Ow!" he cried.

Finally, it was over, and the food materialized on all the tables. Nearly Headless Nick showed himself, and Harry asked how his summer had been.

"Oh, same as usual," Nick laughed. "Peeves caused trouble, as always."

"Remember last year?" snorted Ron, "when he was chucking water balloons around all over the place?"

"How could I forget?" said Neville. "I got soaked!"

After dinner, Dumbledore got up to speak. He made his usual introductions, welcoming everyone back to Hogwarts and telling the first-years that the Forbidden Forest was called that for a reason. Then he spoke of the things no one was allowed to have at the school. Fred and George gave each other their usual cheeky grins, winking at the Headmaster.

"I am pleased to announce that Professor Grubbly-Plank will be taking over Care of Magical Creatures for a little while," Dumbledore continued. Harry frowned; what on Earth was the matter with Hagrid? "I am also delighted to introduce Dolores Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." Harry looked at the staff table, and sure enough, the squat, toadlike woman was sitting in one of the seats, her frilly pink cardigan in place and the bows still in her hair. Unenthusiastic applause greeted this statement. Then he added, "I am also happy to announce that we have a new Potions master. Taking this position will be Horace Slughorn." Whoops and applause followed this statement; it was plain to see that everyone was happy that Snape was no longer here. "Slughorn will also be taking the post of head of Slytherin house," said Dumbledore. "Also, tryouts for the Quidditch teams will be ..."

But then, he suddenly stopped. Harry wondered what was going on, but then he saw that Umbridge had gotten to her feet. "Hem, hem," she said.

Everyone gave her surprised looks; no one had ever interrupted Dumbledore's speech before. But Dumbledore just sat down, giving Umbridge his full attention.

"Thank you, Headmaster, for those kind words of welcome," she simpered. "How lovely it is to be back at Hogwarts, with your happy little faces smiling back at me!"

"Merlin, how old does she think we are, five?" Ron whispered. "Shhh!" Hermione told him.

"I'm very much looking forward to getting to know you all," continued Umbridge in her high-pitched, little-girly voice, "and I'm sure we're all going to be great friends!"

Harry glanced around the Great Hall; everyone looked taken aback by how she was addressing them, even the teachers.

"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance," she went on. The gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the wizarding community must be passed down through the generations, lest we lose them forever." ...

The rest of her speech was very hard to understand; it was made up of nothing but difficult words. Ron looked as though he were about to fall asleep, but Hermione was staring at Umbridge and listening with rapt attention. Harry just looked extremely confused.

After she had finally stopped speaking, there was slow applause from everyone. Harry looked again at the staff table, and noticed that some of the teachers only brought their hands together once or twice.

Dumbledore then got back up, explaining when Quidditch tryouts would be held. Then he sent everyone to bed, a twinkle in his eye and a soft smile on his face.

As Harry and his friends left the Great Hall, Ron said, "What was all that waffle about, then?"

"I'll tell you what it was all about," said Hermione, frowning deeply. "It means that the Ministry's interfering at Hogwarts."

"So you're telling me, all that stuff she was saying means that?" asked Ron, gazing at Hermione in wide-eyed wonder. "How on Earth could you understand that?"

"Oh, you could also see it by the look on her face," said Hermione. "This year's not off to a promising start."

"No, it doesn't look like it is," said Neville miserably. "I wonder what our first lesson with her will be like."

"I don't think I want to know," said Harry as they arrived at the portrait hole. Ron and Hermione had become prefects this year; they had told everyone that on the train. "Mimbulus mimbletonia!" said Hermione, and the Fat Lady let everyone into the common room.

As Harry lay in bed that night, he thought about what Hermione had said. Umbridge had looked especially smug when she was talking, and he knew that this year would be a difficult one. He took some deep breaths, closing his eyes and hoping with everything he had in him that he could do as Sirius and Remus said, and keep his cool around Umbridge. Honest to Merlin, he would try. But it was going to be extremely hard.


	49. Ron Versus Umbridge

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Hey all, and thanks for your comments!

To my one reviewer, I'm sorry you have to have an eye operation. Good luck with it, I hope it goes well.

As to how many chapters there will be in this story, I am estimating over 100!

And to another reviewer, I would love to see this fic turned into a movie also! Thanks so much for saying that, it makes me feel great!

As for Sirius being a Defense teacher, I love the idea of it! You never know, I could use it for either sixth or seventh year!

Okay, here's the next chapter!

Chapter 49: Ron Versus Umbridge

The next morning, Harry showered and dressed. It was good to be back at Hogwarts again; he was really glad Sirius and Remus had let him come back. He said good morning to his dormmates, who answered in kind. "How were your summers?" he asked.

"Mine was good," said Dean. "My family and I went to America."

"Cool!" Harry exclaimed. "What was it like?"

"It was awesome," Dean replied. "They have a wizarding school over there too, you know. Salem Institute."

"That's neat," said Harry. "How about your summer, Seamus?"

"Erm ..." said Seamus, looking uncomfortable. "It was all right, except me mam didn't want me to come back to Hogwarts."

"Why not?" asked Ron, sounding surprised.

"Well," said Seamus slowly, "she believes Dumbledore's gone a bit barmy, you know? Spouting all that stuff about You-Know-Who being back."

Harry felt anger bubble up inside him. "She believes Dumbledore and I are lying?" he asked, trying his best to keep his temper under control.

"Yeah, basically," said Seamus.

"And you agree with her?" asked Ron furiously.

"Listen, you've got to understand," pleaded Seamus. "None of us, except your close friends, Harry, know what happened the night Diggory died. You just came back crying, holding his body, claiming You-Know-Who killed him."

"Well, he did," said Harry in a monotone.

"I can't believe you think Harry's lying," said Ron angrily. "He'd never lie about something like that."

"Well, where was your support when he needed it last year? You thought he was lying about the Goblet of Fire," Seamus snapped back.

"That was a low blow, Seamus," said Neville.

Ron said nothing to this, but just glowered at Seamus. "Come on, mate," he said to Harry. "Let's get out of here."

Harry was more than happy to go along with Ron's suggestion. Images of Cedric's lifeless body that terrible night kept flooding back to him, Voldemort's high, cold laughter ringing in his ears. He and Ron walked down the stairs to the common room, where they met Hermione and Ginny. "Harry, what's the matter?" said Ginny at once, looking concerned. "You look really upset."

"And Ron, what's got you so angry?" asked Hermione.

"Seamus thinks Harry's a big fat liar when it comes to You-Know-Who's return," said Ron, still glowering.

"Oh," said Ginny, squeezing Harry's shoulder in comfort. "I'm sorry, Harry."

"Just ignore him, Harry," said Hermione, not wanting to say that Lavender Brown had confronted her about the same thing. "Oh, no," Hermione then exclaimed, staring at the wall in the common room. A sign had been posted there, advertising Fred and George's Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, and for anyone who wanted extra gold to help test their products. "We're prefects, Ron," said Hermione importantly. "We'll have to talk to your brothers about that advertisement."

"I'm not getting involved," grumbled Ron. "They can do what they like."

"Ronald!" said Hermione crossly. "We can't let them test their products on students! It's unethical!"

"Oh, whatever," said Ron. He and Hermione bickered about this all the way to the Great Hall.

During breakfast, Dumbledore announced that Remus would be coming to the school a few hours a day to talk to anyone who needed to let out feelings about last year's events. Everyone was happy about him coming back except some of the Slytherins, Draco Malfoy among them.

When Professor McGonnagall handed out timetables, Ron groaned and looked furious again. "We've got the worst day imaginable," he fumed. "Binns, Slughorn, Trelawney, and Umbridge."

"Slughorn might not be that bad," said Hermione soothingly. "And you have no idea what Umbridge'll be like."

"Well, if she waffles on like she did last night," said Ron sullenly, "it'll be unbearable."

After breakfast, they trooped to History of Magic, which was the dullest subject ever taught at Hogwarts. Binns droned on and on about goblin rebellions, causing many members of the class to doze off within seconds. Hermione kept poking Ron in the shoulder, trying to wake him up. Harry, however, was not asleep, but kept having flashbacks to the night of the third task. He'd kept on getting interested looks from other students last night and this morning at breakfast, and was heartily sick of it. He'd had to watch as his big brother was murdered in front of him. Why couldn't people just leave him alone?

After History of Magic, Harry, Ron, Neville, and Hermione went outside for break. There they met Cho Chang, whose face was red and blotchy from crying. "What's the matter, Cho?" Harry asked softly.

"Umbridge," sniffled Cho. "She gave me a really hard time about Cedric. Kept trying to get me to believe that his death was not caused by You-Know-Who."

"What a bitch," said Ron savagely. "See, I told you, 'Mione, she'll be horrible."

"What was the rest of her class like, Cho?" asked Neville, putting an arm around her.

"She just made us read the stupid textbook," said Cho miserably. "And she told us not to talk. There's nothing in the book or the course aims about using defensive spells."

"That is so not right!" exclaimed Ron.

"No, it's not," Cho replied. "When've you got her, you four?"

"This afternoon," said Hermione promptly.

"Oh, joy," said Cho.

The four tried to cheer Cho up for another few minutes, but then it was time for them to go to Potions. With sympathetic looks, they bade her goodbye and went down to the dungeons.

"This'll be interesting," said Neville. "No Snape. I'll probably do better without him around."

"Me, too," agreed Harry.

When they walked into the dungeon, Slughorn was already there, sitting behind his desk. He beamed at Harry and his friends as he saw them.

"Why, hello, hello, hello!" he boomed once everyone had sat down. "As you all know, my name is Horace Slughorn, and I am your new Potions Master. This year is a very important year for you all, for in June you will be taking your O.W.L's. These are examinations that are of extreme importance, because their results will provide you with the sort of careers you should go for after Hogwarts.

"I am very excited to be teaching you all," he said, grinning at Harry and making him flush with embarrassment. "The potion we will be making today is called the Draught of Peace. It is a rather simple potion, and everyone should know how to make it. The instructions are here on the board," he said, flicking his wand and making them appear. "Partner up now, everyone! Begin!"

Harry and Neville partnered up, as did Ron and Hermione. As the lesson passed, Harry and Neville grinned at each other, for they were finding it much easier to complete the potion successfully than they had in Snape's class. There was no overgrown bat looming over them, telling them how bad their potion was and docking points from Gryffindor. Harry looked over at Malfoy, who was partnered with Pansy Parkinson. He had a scowl on his face; it was plain to see that Slughorn was not to his liking.

When the man himself came over to inspect Harry and Neville's potion, he smiled widely. "My predecessor told me you were not good at this," he bellowed. "But my, was he wrong! Excellent, excellent! Potter, your mother was a smashing hit at Potions as well. Extremely talented, she was. Five points to Gryffindor!"

Harry valued this new information about his mother, but wished Slughorn would stop looking at him as though he were a genius. He couldn't wait for the class to be over.

When it was, the four made their way to the Great Hall for lunch. There they met Ginny, who chatted about Care of Magical Creatures. She said Grubbly-Plank was a great teacher.

"She can't be better than Hagrid," said Harry. "Surely."

"She really knows what she's doing, though," said Ginny. "How were your classes?"

"Binns was boring," groaned Ron. "And Slughorn was ... interesting. Won't leave Harry alone, though."

"Just ignore him," said Ginny. "He has to be better than Snape, though."

"Yeah," said Neville. "At least I got my potion right this time."

"Good for you, Neville!" said Ginny proudly. "See, I told you you could do it!"

After lunch, Harry, Ron, and Neville made their way to North Tower for Divination. Harry felt mounting dread; of course Trelawney was probably going to predict his death again.

Sure enough, when they ascended to the classroom, Trelawney gave him a tragic look. The whole lesson was on dreams this time; she explained about how you could predict the future from a dream you had. She handed out a book called The Dream Oracle, and proceeded to tell the class to divide into groups of two and predict each other's futures from their dreams.

Harry didn't want to do this at all. He knew very well what his dream about his big brother's lifeless body meant. But he and Ron managed to make the class amusing by Ron telling Harry what his own dreams had been about. He seemed to know that Harry was reluctant to tell him his.

"You're going to be eaten by the giant squid," declared Harry in a misty voice when Ron explained that last night, he'd dreamed about playing Quidditch. From the desk beside them, Lavender and Parvati glared.

After Divination, they met up with Hermione. With butterflies in their stomachs, they made their way to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. When they arrived, Umbridge was already there, sitting at her desk with the fluffy pink cardigan still in place and the bows still adorning her hair.

Once everyone was seated, she trilled, "Good afternoon, class!" There were a few muttered "good afternoons" from some of the students. "Oh, no, no, no!" said Umbridge. "That will not do at all! When I say good afternoon to you all, you will say, "Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge!" Okay, let's try that again. Good afternoon, class!"

"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," the class replied.

"That's better," said Umbridge sweetly. "All right, wands away and quills out, please."

There were some groans from the class as everyone put their wands away and got out parchment and quills.

Umbridge tapped her own wand to the blackboard, and words appeared there:

Defense Against the Dark Arts

A Return to Basic Principles

"Well, this subject has been rather disrupted over the years, has it not?" said Umbridge in her sweet voice. "The constant changing of teachers has not been a positive thing. Also, many of these teachers have not followed a Ministry-approved curriculum. Fortunately, this problem is now being rectified. Copy down the following, please."

As she tapped the blackboard with her wand again, the first message disappeared and was replaced by:

Course Aims

1. Understanding the principles underlying defensive magic.

2. Learning to recognize situations in which defensive magic can legally be used.

3. Placing the use of defensive magic in a context for practical use.

Once everyone had copied the course aims down, Professor Umbridge asked them if they all had a copy of their textbook. Some nods and mumbles of ascent came from the class, to which Professor Umbridge trilled, "No, no, no, no, no! That is not good enough! When I ask a question, you will answer, "Yes, Professor Umbridge," or "No, Professor Umbridge." Let's try that again. Does everyone have a copy of the Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook?"

"yes, Professor Umbridge," the class replied.

"Good," said Umbridge. "I would like you all to read the first chapter, which starts on page five. There will be no need to talk."

Harry opened his book and began to read. The work was extremely dull. A few minutes later, Harry looked up and saw Hermione's hand in the air. Umbridge was completely ignoring her. As the minutes continued to pass, more and more people looked at the scene in front of them.

Eventually, Umbridge turned to Hermione. "You wanted to ask a question about the chapter, dear?" she said as though Hermione had only just raised her hand.

"About the course aims, Professor," said Hermione. "Another student told me this earlier, and she's absolutely right. There's nothing in the course aims about USING defensive magic."

"And your name is?"

"Hermione Granger."

"Well, Miss Granger, you ask me why we aren't USING defensive spells?" said Umbridge with a tiny laugh. "Well, I can't imagine any incident in my classroom which would require you to USE defensive spells. Do you really expect to be attacked during class?"

"We're not going to be using magic at all?" Ron asked loudly.

"Students raise their hands when they want to speak in my class, Mr. ..."

"Weasley," said Ron.

"Right," said Umbridge. Ron raised his hand, but she ignored him. Hermione raised her hand again, and Umbridge said, "Yes, Miss Granger? You wanted to ask something else?"

"Yes," said Hermione, straightening up in her chair. "Surely the whole point of Defense Against the Dark Arts is to use defensive magic?"

"Are you a Ministry-trained expert, Miss Granger?" asked Umbridge in her sugary voice.

"No."

"Well, in that case, it is not for you to decide what the "whole point" of any class is," said Umbridge. "For this particular class, you will be learning about defensive spells in a risk-free environment."

"What use is that?" blustered Ron.

"Hand, Mr. Weasley!" Ron once again threw his fist in the air, but Umbridge totally ignored him. "Yes?" she said, turning to Dean. "Your name, please?"

"Dean Thomas," said Dean. "And if we're attacked, it's not going to be in a risk-free way."

"I repeat," said Umbridge, smiling widely, "do you expect to be attacked in my classroom?"

"No, but ..."

Umbridge talked over him. "I don't mean to criticize the way things have been done," she said, "but I hear you have been taught by many incompetent teachers, including a dangerous half-breed!"

Harry felt anger churn inside of him; how dare Umbridge speak about his guardian like that! But he kept himself from speaking out; he didn't want to draw any attention to himself.

"If you mean Professor Lupin," said Ron, "he was the best we ever ..."

"HAND, MR. WEASLEY!" sang Umbridge. "Yes?" she trilled, turning then to Parvati.

"My name's Parvati Patil," said Parvati. "Aren't we supposed to know countercurses and stuff so we can do them on our O.W.L?"

"Yes, Miss Patil, but you will be studying only the theory," said Umbridge. "That will be sufficient for you to be able to perform them correctly on the day of the exam."

"That's not right!" exclaimed Ron, his fist in the air again. "So you mean to tell me, we're not going to be prepared for the real world, for what's waiting out there?"

"There is nothing waiting out there, Mr. Weasley," said Umbridge quietly.

"Oh yeah?" Ron said sarcastically.

"Yes," said Umbridge. "Who do you think wants to attack children like yourselves?"

Harry felt a burning need to answer this question, but once again, he didn't want to draw attention to himself. Images of Cedric falling plagued his vision as Ron said, "Hmm, let me think. ..." in a mock thoughtful voice. "Well, how about YOU-KNOW-WHO?"

There was a long silence, and Umbridge stared at Ron with a look of satisfaction on her face. "Ten points from Gryffindor," she said sweetly. "Now, let me make one thing clear. You have been told that a certain dark wizard has returned from the dead. This is a lie."

Harry kept his head down and his fists clenched in order not to shout at Umbridge. Ron, however, had no compunctions about doing just that. "It is not a lie!" he roared. "Harry saw him, he fought him!" Harry felt a rush of gratitude towards his friend, but wished at the same time that he'd keep his mouth shut. He didn't want Ron getting into trouble because of him. Unfortunately, Umbridge seemed to have read his thoughts.

"Detention, Mr. Weasley!" she shrilled. "Tomorrow evening. Five o'clock, in my office. If anyone is telling you fibs about reborn dark wizards, I'd like to hear about it. I'm here to help. I am your friend. Now please, kindly continue your reading."

But Ron, anger seizing a hold of him, had stood up. The whole class gazed at him, Hermione giving him pleading looks. Harry's head was still down, praying that his friend was not going to cause a huge scene.

"So," said Ron, "what about all those Death Eaters who escaped from Azkaban last year?"

"They have no leader, Mr. Weasley," said Umbridge sweetly. "You-Know-Who is a deformed creature. He is not strong enough to lead them. They will not attack anyone without him."

"So according to you, Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own free will, then?"

"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic occurance, to be sure, but it was an isolated incident."

"It was You-Know-Who himself who murdered him," said Ron angrily. "Harry saw him return and kill him, and you know it."

Harry felt despair bubble within him. He knew Ron was trying to defend him, but this was the wrong time! He was only going to cause more trouble for him! Please, please, please stop! Harry chanted to himself, once again seeing his big brother's lifeless eyes staring, staring, staring at the sky.

For a moment, it seemed as though Umbridge was going to scream at Ron. But then she said in her softest, sweetest voice, "Come here, Mr. Weasley, dear."

Ron furiously strode to her side. Umbridge got out quill and parchment and scribbled a note on it. "Take this to Professor McGonnagall, dear," she said.

"Fine!" said Ron. "Good riddance!" And with that, he stormed out of the room.

"Well, he won't be back," said Umbridge triumphantly. "Now, please continue your reading. I want no more interruptions."

The class was so shocked, they did just that. Harry went through the rest of the period in a daze. Everywhere he looked, he saw lifeless gray eyes. Everywhere he turned, he heard Voldemort's voice. Once the lesson was over, he stumbled out of the room, Neville and Hermione following. The three had nothing to say to each other; they were still in a shocked stupor after what had happened. What in the world was going to become of Ron?


	50. I Will Not Listen to Lies

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Hey all. Sorry I haven't updated in a few days. Every year, my highschool, Overbrook School for the Blind, has a reunion weekend, so I was at that. It was so cool!

Thanks to all who reviewed. I'm glad you like the twist with Ron doing the detentionbs instead of Harry. I definitely think Ron's grown up this year!

Okay, here's the next chapter!

Chapter 50: I Will Not Listen to Lies

At dinner, Harry and Hermione saw Ron again. He was looking very angry, and had his hands balled into fists. "You won't believe it," he muttered. "I've got detention with Umbridge every damn day this week, starting tomorrow."

"You're joking!" said Harry.

"Nope," said Ron furiously. "She's giving me detention for telling the truth!"

"Thanks for sticking up for me, mate, but perhaps you shouldn't have done that," Harry tried to tell him. "Sirius and Remus told me Umbridge'll do anything to try to provoke you. I explained that on the train, remember?"

"Oh yeah," said Ron grumpily. "But she's so stupid."

"Ron," said Hermione pleadingly, "just please don't lose your temper again in front of her. Do you really want detention every day this year?"

"I don't need a lecture, Hermione," snapped Ron. "I just hate being told by her that we can't do any magic when You-Know-Who has returned!"

Hermione pursed her lips and said nothing. Harry continued to eat his dinner, worried for what Ron's detentions would be.

Angelina Johnson then came marching up to them, looking important. "Guess what?" she said cheerfully. "I'm the Quidditch captain this year! Tryouts for keeper will be held this Saturday."

Harry thought he saw something flicker across Ron's face, but when he looked closer, it was gone.

"That's great, Angelina! Congratulations!" Ginny said.

"Thanks, Ginny," said Angelina. Lowering her voice, she then said, "By the way, I believe you, Harry. But please tell Ron to chill when it comes to Umbridge. His little outburst today has travelled through the rumor mill. You know what Hogwarts is like."

"Yeah," said Harry, and he noticed that many people from all the house tables were looking at Ron, some with disdain, others with admiration.

After dinner, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville all went back to the common room. They'd left dinner early in order to stay away from all the people who looked like they wanted to question Ron. However, they were not entirely successful. Walking along the corridor arm in arm were the two sixth-year Gryffindor prefects, and as the five friends journeyed onward, the two stopped them.

"Hello," said the boy, smiling. "My name's Ian Davis. I don't think you guys know me too well. This here's my girlfriend, Sarah."

"Hi," said Sarah, smiling also. "We just wanted to let you know, Harry, that we believe you."

Harry looked bewildered; he'd never been approached by these people before. "Uh, thanks," he said, embarrassed.

"We mean it," said Ian sincerely. "My mum was killed by a Death Eater during You-Know-Who's first reign. My dad's since remarried, but it was very painful for him to lose her. He's told me stories about how terrible the First War was, and Sarah and I want to do everything we can to prepare for what's ahead."

"I'm sorry to hear about your mum," said Harry. "But thanks for your understanding."

"We've got your back, Harry," said Sarah. "And Ron, I think that was very brave of you to stand up to Umbridge like that."

"Thanks," said Ron, flushing.

"We've got to get going now," said Ian, squeezing Sarah's hand. The two of them smiled at the five friends. "We've got to go to the library. But we'll see you later, all right?"

"All right," said Hermione. "Thanks for talking to us."

"No problem," said Sarah, and the couple walked away.

"They're really nice," said Ginny. "I've seen them before around the common room. They've been going out since last year, I think."

"They look really happy," said Neville.

When the three arrived back in the common room, Hermione proceeded to sit down and start knitting. "What are you doing?" Ron demanded as he looked at her work.

"Knitting house-elf hats," answered Hermione in a self-satisfied voice.

"You've got to be kidding me," said Ron immediately. "Can't you see, Hermione? House-elves DON'T WANT to be free!"

"Give it a rest, Ron!" said Hermione angrily.

But Ron wouldn't let the subject drop. "So you're going to stick the hats all around the common room? The elves aren't going to pick them up, you know," he said smugly.

"Watch this," stormed Hermione, setting down a hat and putting a bunch of papers on top of it.

"That's just not on," said Ron furiously. "That's just wrong on so many levels."

"SLAVERY is what's wrong on so many levels, Ronald Weasley," yelled Hermione, losing her temper. "Just leave me alone!"

"Fine," sighed Ron, giving her an exasperated look.

Fred and George entered the common room, followed by an enormous gaggle of first-years. To Hermione's dismay, the twins started testing their products on them. "Ron, we're prefects," said Hermione crossly. "We have to stop this nonsense!"

"They can do what they want, they're not hurting the first-years," Ron defended his brothers.

"Oh, fine," snarled Hermione, going over to Fred and George. "You will stop that this instant!" she said bossily.

"Says who?" said Fred, giving one of the first-years the antidote to a Nosebleed Nougat.

"Says me, and I'm a prefect," said Hermione. "It's not right to be doing this! What if the products are really dangerous?"

"Ah, come on, you claim to be smart, Hermione," jibed George. "Haven't you figured out that we tested them on ourselves first?"

"It doesn't matter," Hermione snapped.

"I see that ickle Ronniekins agrees with what we're doing," said Fred, chortling. "And no teacher's trying to stop us. Old McGonagall hasn't said anything to us."

"Fine! Go ahead and make yourselves sick, then!" shouted Hermione, and she looked close to tears. "I'm going to bed," she announced, her voice quivering. She then stormed up the stairs to her dormitory.

"Reckon it's that time of the month?" Ron snickered.

"Dunno," said Harry, blushing. "Guess she's had a hard day."

"Blimey, she's a bit sensitive though, isn't she?" said George.

"You're telling me, brother mine," answered Fred.

xxx

The next morning's classes were Charms and Transfiguration. Both McGonagall and Flitwick stressed how important the OWL's were, and Harry grew more nervous by the second. These tests sounded like an extremely big deal.

Fortunately, Hermione seemed to be in a better mood. She and Ron had not apologized for their argument the night before, but Harry had noticed over the years that they seemed to take their arguments as a part of their complicated relationship. Both of them were polite around each other and talked normally, not mentioning house-elf hats or Fred and George's Skiving Snackboxes at all.

Lunch followed these classes, and after that was Care of Magical Creatures. Harry wondered what class with Professor Grubbly-Plank would be like, and knew he was going to ask her what had happened to Hagrid.

Today, they were studying creatures called bowtruckles. As each pair of students went up to get one to look at, Harry asked, "Professor, where's Hagrid?"

"Never you mind," said Professor Grubbly-Plank.

"I do mind," said Ron cheekily. "Where is he?"

"It isn't any of your business," said Grubbly-Plank sternly. "Now, kindly get on with your work, please."

As Harry and Ron made their way over to where Hermione and Neville were working, they heard a quiet voice snickering with Crabbe and Goyle.

"Maybe the great oaf's got himself involved in something that's TOO BIG for him, if you get my drift," drawled Draco Malfoy. "Maybe he's gone and finally gotten himself killed."

"Would you shut the hell up, Malfoy!" Harry snarled. Hermione gave him a pleading look, begging him to not let Malfoy get to him.

"Ah, always there to defend the poor and misunderstood, Potter," sneered Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle snorted with laughter. "My father did always say that the Headmaster hired useless people to teach at this school."

"Your father also licks Voldemort's boots," Harry almost shouted. Many people in the class gasped. A look of rage swept across Malfoy's pale and pointed face.

"That is quite enough," said Grubbly-Plank crossly. "Five points from both Gryffindor and Slytherin. I do not want to encounter any more disturbances!"

Harry was squeezing his bowtruckle so hard that the thing was squealing in pain. Realizing what he was doing, he quickly let go.

The class then went on in silence, but Harry and Malfoy kept glowering at each other. Ron kept giving the blond Slytherin vicious looks as well.

When the Gryffindors made their way to the greenhouses for Herbology, they saw Ginny exiting along with another girl. Harry recognized her as the girl who'd been standing next to Slughorn on the train. She was still wearing her radish earrings and had her wand behind her ear.

"Oh, it's Loony Lovegood," Ron whispered in Harry's ear.

"That's not nice, Ron," said Harry. "She can't be that bad."

Luna marched up to Harry, looking dreamy. She smiled brightly at him and said, "By the way, Harry, I believe that you fought You-Know-Who and that he killed Cedric Diggory. After all, it's just as believable as all the stories my dad told me about crumple-horned snorkacks."

"Crumple-horned who?" said Ron, trying not to laugh.

"Crumple-horned snorkacks," Luna repeated.

"Luna, there is no such thing as one of those," said Hermione as though it settled the matter.

"Oh, don't be so close-minded," breathed Luna. She walked away with Ginny, smiling at Harry as she went.

Harry had felt a pang in his heart at hearing Cedric's name, but tried to hide the sadness he was feeling. After all, he just found another person who believed him. But what on Earth was a crumple-horned snorkack?

Ron seemed to read Harry's thoughts. "You can do better than her, mate," he told him. "Apparently, she only believes things her dad tells her. He's the editor of the Quibbler."

"What's that?"

"It's a newspaper that's not at all as popular as the Daily Prophet," explained Hermione. "It basically spouts out wild stories."

"Oh," said Harry dejectedly as they walked into the greenhouse.

xxx

That evening after dinner, Ron went to Umbridge's office for his detention, the thing he was absolutely dreading. He hoped that the stupid woman wouldn't make him do anything too bad. But he'd learned from his mistake last year when it came to Harry; he was now going to believe everything his friend told him, no matter what this Ministry fanatic tried to drill into him.

As he made his way to the office, he thought about how ridiculous this whole state of affairs was. Harry and Cedric had been taken right from school grounds, and the entire school had seen it! How could Umbridge be telling everyone that they shouldn't learn how to defend themselves? He remembered with fury what had been written in the Daily Prophet about Dumbledore. The articles had said how negligent he was, and about how it was his fault that Cedric's death had occurred. "The Ministry is making sure that a tragedy of this magnitude will never happen again," the writing had proclaimed. Ron snorted in disgust.

"Good evening, Mr. Weasley," said Umbridge sweetly as Ron walked into the DADA office. The whole thing looked absolutely, mind-bogglingly dreadful. There were pictures of cats all around the room, and also little cat ornaments. Umbridge was wearing her usual pink cardigan, and today there seemed to be even more bows in her hair.

"Good evening," Ron mumbled miserably, feeling nauseous as he looked around the sickening room.

"Ah, no, no, no, let's try that again!" simpered Umbridge. "Good evening, Mr. Weasley!"

"Good evening, Professor Umbridge," said Ron, glaring at her.

"Now, that's better," said Umbridge. "All right, I would like you to sit down and write some lines for me."

"Lines?" said Ron. He noticed that a piece of parchment was sitting on the desk. He sat down in the chair, and was about to get his quill and ink when Umbridge stopped him.

"Yes, lines," she said cheerfully. "And no, don't get out your quill. I'm going to let you use a special one of mine."

"Oh," said Ron, a bad feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. A small, pointy quill was placed on the desk in front of him. "What do you want me to write?"

"You shall write "I will not listen to lies,"" said Professor Umbridge, smiling widely.

Ron scowled angrily at her. "But Harry's not lying!" he snarled.

"You know he is," said Umbridge quietly. "And you know you deserve to be punished."

"Fine," Ron sneered. "But where's the ink?"

"Ah, you will not need ink, Mr. Weasley," said Umbridge, pleasure seeping from every word. "Begin, please."

Furiously, Ron began writing the words "I will not listen to lies". But as he wrote them, he felt a sharp pain on the back of his hand. "Owwwww!" he cried. "What the bloody hell?"

"Language, Mr. Weasley. You do need to watch that foul mouth of yours," said Umbridge in her sugary voice.

Ron paid her no attention; he looked at the back of his hand and saw the words "I will not listen to lies" there. He also saw that the words were on the parchment in bright red ink, but it really wasn't ink at all. It was his own blood.

"P-Professor!" stuttered Ron incredulously. "You can't!"

"Is there a problem, Mr. Weasley?" questioned Umbridge.

"Problem? There's definitely a problem," snorted Ron viciously. "This is a BLOOD QUILL! You can't make me use this! It's ILLEGAL!"

"Ah, yes, you are correct, of course," smiled Umbridge. "Any pureblood would know about the inner workings of these delightful things."

"You're evil, you are," shouted Ron, standing up and waving the quill in Umbridge's face. "I refuse to use this!"

"Ah, I think you will be using it, Mr. Weasley," simpered Umbridge, her toadish smile growing even wider. "I have no doubt of that. A little of this ..." She waved her wand at Ron, "will do the trick."

"What the hell did you just do?" yelled Ron. "I'll tell a teacher, you know I will!"

"That little spell I just cast on you," said Umbridge, smirking, "will make you speak gibberish if you even breathe as much as one word to a teacher. Go ahead and try it now. Say "Professor Umbridge made me use a blood quill in detention."" She waited smugly for the result.

"Professor Umbridge made me use a ... plchinsofsmggcsuumm," said Ron, the words "blood quill" becoming absolute rubbish as he said them.

Umbridge clapped her hands together in pure joy. "See?" she whispered softly. "You will not be saved this time."

"But people will see that I've got the words written on the back of my hand!" spluttered Ron.

"Oh, yes?" said Umbridge, a nasty expression stealing across her face. "You do think you're a smart boy, don't you?" She waved her wand again. "Look at your hand, boy."

So Ron did, dreading what he'd see. The hand was still stinging like crazy, but the words were no longer there.

"Concealing Charms can be very useful," said Umbridge, smiling still more widely. "Now go ahead and do as I asked, please. You know, deep down, that you were a very, very bad boy and you deserve to be punished."

"You can't make me write what you want me to write," Ron roared, still glowering at his teacher.

"Well, the Imperius Curse ought to teach you a lesson," said Umbridge sweetly.

"Fine!" exclaimed Ron, his entire demeanor looking shocked. "I'll do it!"

"Ah, I knew that would keep your mouth under control," said Umbridge with a tiny, girlish laugh. "Now do as you are told, please."

Unintelligible, angry words spurted from Ron's lips as he sat defeatedly in his seat and began to write the words over and over again. "How many times?" he asked angrily.

"Oh, as many as it takes for the message to sink in," said Umbridge happily.

So ron sat there for hours, writing the words "I will not listen to lies" what felt like a thousand times. Eventually, Umbridge stood up and walked over to the furious boy. "Let me see," she whispered as she took a hold of his hand. She undid the Concealing Charm, then redid it. "I think that's enough for today. But you will be sure to come back tomorrow, will you not?"

"Maybe I just won't come," said Ron. "You can't make me."

"I think you will come if you know what's good for you," giggled Umbridge. "After all, you do not want your friends experiencing the same fate, do you?"

"You're evil, you stupid bitch!" snarled Ron as he stood up, wrenched the door open and stormed out of the room, leaving Umbridge beaming in his wake.

xxx

When Ron arrived back in the common room, everyone was gone. Part of him was a little hurt that his friends hadn't stayed awake to wait up for him, but another part of him said, you can't expect them to do that, you stupid prat. After all, he was extremely exhausted from his night's work. The vicious anger was still there, and he knew, that even as tired as he was, he wouldn't get much sleep tonight.

And his suspicions were right. Ron tossed and turned in his four-poster that night, knowing Harry had put Silencing Charms around his bed so that his nightmares about Cedric would not be heard. Ron had tried to get his friend to open up to him and talk about his dreams, but the boy refused to, saying he was going to handle that in his therapy sessions. Ron was a little appeased, but not much. He felt terrible that Harry had to deal with all this.

Above all, he was absolutely livid with Dolores Umbridge. She had forbidden him to tell a teacher what was going on by placing a spell on him, she had concealed the back of his hand so no one could see her true cruelty displayed. What a horrible, despicable, loathsome woman, he thought, rage slicing through him. He made a silent vow to himself that he would find a way to undo these charms. He'd look in every book in the library if that was what it took. He felt like such a sorry excuse for a wizard, because he should have known what sick game Umbridge was going to play. He decided he wouldn't even try and tell his friends what was going on, he'd just try to figure out how to undo the damage all by himself. After all, his goal was to try and do something without Harry and Hermione's help for a change, and he promised himself that he would stop Dolores Umbridge, whatever the cost.


	51. Difficult Conversations

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Hey all. No, I'm not dead. I'm sorry it's been a week since I updated, but I felt I needed to take a little break. I felt this because I've been trying to plan the rest of this story. But guess what? I think I have it all planned now. I was trying to work out all the details about what I want to do until the end of seventh year. I think I'm all set now! I hope you all had a good week!

Thanks for all the great reviews! To my one reviewer, I'm so glad surgery went well. Going on the operating table is a daunting experience, I've been through it too.

Okay, enjoy this chappie!

Chapter 51: Difficult Conversations

The next morning, Harry and his friends noticed that Ron was in a very foul mood. When they tried to ask him about it, he just muttered, "Detention with Umbridge."

Ron had been thinking, and he decided he'd try to trick Umbridge by writing down on a piece of parchment that he had been made to use a blood quill, and then show it to Harry and Hermione. Unfortunately, that plan fell apart; apparently Umbridge had anticipated this move from Ron. When he tried to write the words, they came out as jibberish. This made Ron even angrier.

"What did she have you do?" asked Hermione sympathetically.

"Lines," said Ron, knowing that he couldn't say anything else; the spell wouldn't let him.

"Well, that isn't so bad," said Harry. Ron snorted; he had no idea.

When they were travelling from breakfast to Slughorn's Potions class, Ron said, "I have to tell you something, guys. I know I was a real prat last year, and I wouldn't listen to reason. But this year I think I want to talk to the Slytherins with you. Not this week, because I have detention, but starting next week."

Needless to say, the others were shocked. Something had really seemed to change in Ron; he was definitely growing up. "Okay," said Harry. "Let's talk to Slughorn after class."

He was really dreading doing this, because he was sure Slughorn would make an extremely big deal out of it. Sure enough, once class was over, Slughorn rubbed his hands together in glee when he saw Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville linger behind.

"Well, well, well!" he boomed. "And what a pleasure it is to have you still here! What may I do for you four?"

"Did Professor Dumbledore ever tell you about S.A.N.E?" asked Hermione seriously.

Slughorn thought for a minute. "Ah, yes!" he said jovially. "I do appreciate your efforts to help my house! Why do you ask?"

"We would like to continue it," replied Neville, smiling.

"How wonderful!" Slughorn beamed. "How about Friday night, that way they won't have to worry about homework if they don't want to? I'll talk to my Slytherins, and you can meet here, in the Potions classroom."

"That's great," declared Ron. "Thank you very much."

"You are most welcome," said Slughorn. "Now, Mr. Potter, Mr. Longbottom, would you stay here a moment, please? Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, you can go."

"We'll wait outside," said Hermione, wondering what the Potions Master wanted with the two boys. Harry and Neville looked at each other in confusion.

"Boys," said Slughorn proudly, "since you are two students I very much underestimated before I met you, and since you have made me very proud, I would like to invite you both to join the Slug Club. This is a club that meets every couple of weeks; we have celebrations and many interesting conversations."

"Uh, no thanks," said Neville shyly, Harry shaking his head also.

"Oh, come on!" boomed Slughorn. "I don't bite! It should be a fascinating experience! Mr. Zabini is in the club, along with Miss Lovegood and many others!"

"No, it's okay," said Harry uncomfortably, not wanting to spend any more extra time with Slughorn than he had to. He turned away from the man, Neville following him. Slughorn looked at them dejectedly as they walked out of the room.

"Well, what was that about?" said Ron as they walked to their next class.

"He wanted us to join the Slug Club," said Neville, going on to explain exactly what that was.

"Oh," said Hermione. "You declined, then?"

"Yeah," Harry answered.

"That was a good move," said Ron. "He'd have probably asked you all kinds of questions you didn't want to answer."

"That's what I was thinking," said Harry. "That's why we said no."

xxx

The next few days passed slowly for the group. Ron remained in a foul mood, having detention all week long. He kept his resolve firm that he would find a way to undo the concealing charm on the back of his hand. Harry was still getting weird looks in the hallways, some of deep mistrust and suspicion, but his friends continuously remained by his side.

On Friday evening, Harry, Neville, Ginny, Hermione, and Cho walked to the Potions classroom. Cedric's absence was felt more than ever as they quietly talked amongst themselves. They would miss his compassionate nature and his honest speeches to the Slytherins.

When they entered the room, many of the Slytherins within smiled at them. Others, however, looked very worried. Theodore Nott was biting his nails, and Blaise Zabini looked nervous as well. As much as Harry didn't want to talk about this, he knew that many of the students would probably have questions about his encounter with Voldemort. He was absolutely dreading this, but since Voldemort's influence was especially apparent in the Slytherin house, now was the time to get the students to understand that there was a better way of doing things than joining the monster.

"Hello, everyone," greeted Neville as the group once again stood in front of the room. "How are you doing today?"

There were several muttered "fine's" from the assembled students.

"Good," said Cho, clearing her throat. Out of all of them, she and Harry were feeling the absence of their departed friend the most.

Theodore Nott raised his hand, not being able to contain himself any longer. "Excuse me, but is the Dark Lord really back?" he demanded. Several other Slytherins straightened in their chairs, showing that they wanted the question answered as well. "Did he really kill Diggory?"

"Yes, Theodore, he did," Harry answered somberly.

"But I thought the Dark Lord could never return," said Bulstrode. "When he was seen at the World Cup he was nothing but a deformed creature. He can't have regained full power."

"Things aren't always what they seem, Millicent," said Hermione with a very serious look on her face.

Helena put her hand up. "Malfoy's being especially vicious with us now," she said, sounding upset. "He's holding these meetings, just like you are. He's saying all this stuff about power, and how important it is that we show those we don't like who's boss."

"He's all talk and no action," said Ginny, scowling as she thought of the blond-haired Slytherin. "Don't you see how he always has his two goons, Crabbe and Goyle, with him? I have a feeling that if he becomes a Death Eater, he'll realize it's not what it's cracked up to be."

"I have to tell you," said Harry, dread coursing through him as he spoke, "that when I saw Voldemort ..." There was a collective intake of breath, "this June, his Death Eaters had no power at all. They were slaves, guys, slaves to him, and they were all tortured. Voldemort does whatever he wants to them, he doesn't care about their feelings."

Nott shook his head. "My parents told me that the Dark Lord holds all his supporters in high regard, that he makes them feel accepted and as though they belong."

"But as you saw at the World Cup last year, it wasn't what it seemed," said Hermione quietly, walking over to the distraught-looking boy and laying a hand on his shoulder. "You-Know-Who may make you feel that way at first just to rope you in. But once you're in, there's no getting out."

"You made the right choice, Theodore," said Cho, her eyes filling with tears as she remembered how Cedric had helped him come to the decision he had. "You decided not to join him, and not to kill and torture for him. When you think about it, Muggle-borns, Muggles, and half-bloods are human beings, just the same as everyone else."

"How can he be back, though?" said Daphne Greengrass, trying hard to disguise the panic in her voice. "It's impossible."

"He used a very dark potion so that he could return to his body," said Harry, his face expressionless.

"Was Diggory ... was he ... tortured?" asked Helena softly, her face mirroring her sadness and confusion.

"Yeah," answered Harry, looking down to the floor. "I did everything I could to try to help him, but I was tied to a gravestone. There was nothing I could do."

"Why were you tied to a gravestone?" asked Zabini.

"So I couldn't get away," answered Harry, the images of that night playing out in gruesome and vivid detail. "The same thing happened to Cedric. Voldemort used ... used my blood ... to help him return."

Ginny put an arm around him; she could feel Harry shaking with shame and guilt. "It wasn't your fault," she said softly.

"The Dark Lord returned because of you?" demanded Kevin Simmons, a seventh-year Slytherin loudly. Harry shook harder.

"You know Harry didn't want to be there," said Ginny angrily. "Don't think for even a second that it was voluntary." She continued to whisper quiet words to Harry as Hermione got a chair and helped Harry to sit in it.

"As you can see, Harry's very upset by this," said Cho sadly. "So please don't badger him about it. The fact that he's even talking to you about this proves what a strong person he is."

"You were Cedric's girlfriend," muttered Kevin. "How can you not hold Harry responsible?"

"Because Cedric was like his big brother," said Cho fiercely. "And it wouldn't be fair to him if I stopped being his friend. It's not his fault. Can't you see how upset this makes him?"

"Fine," said Kevin. "Fine. But how are we supposed to prepare for a war?"

"And what if I have to confront my parents?" asked Nott. "What if I face them in battle someday? Then what?"

"There's no use worrying about that yet," said Hermione soothingly. "And nobody says you actually have to fight in the war. We're protected here at Hogwarts, Dumbledore ..."

"Dumbledore can't fix everything," Nott snarled. "And the way things are going, if we fight we'll lose, because Umbridge isn't teaching us anything!"

"Yeah, why is that?" asked Helena furiously. "Why is she just making us read the stupid textbook all the time?"

"Yeah, speaking of that old codger, what was he thinking hiring an incompetent teacher like her?" drawled Zabini.

"Guys, it isn't Dumbledore's fault," said Harry, who had regained his composure somewhat. "Sirius and Remus told me that he couldn't find anyone to fill in the position of Defense teacher, so the Ministry had to step in."

"And they don't believe what Harry's saying about You-Know-Who, as you know," added Neville.

"Well, I'm going to try to practice the spells whether Umbridge likes it or not," declared Zabini. "If the Dark Lord really is back then we have to do something about it."

They spent a little while longer talking about these matters. Then Harry said, "Starting next week, a new member will be joining our group."

"Who's that?" asked Helena curiously.

"Ron," said Ginny.

"Oh," drawled Nott. "I thought he couldn't be bothered with us. I was under the impression he thought we were all evil losers. What's changed?"

"He's grown up," said Hermione at once. "Sometimes it takes a big event like what happened last year to really get people to understand the bigger picture."

"Well, he'd better prove that he doesn't hate all of our guts," said Zabini bitterly. "Because if he even thinks about hexing us ..."

"He won't, if I have anything to say about it," said Ginny dangerously.

"We know that hard times are ahead," said Harry, looking at the group with solemn, haunted eyes. The look scared some of them, especially the first and second-years. He looked like he'd seen way too much for his age. "Hogwarts needs house unity, not this stupid petty rivalry. Remember what the Sorting Hat said?"

"Yeah," said Derek, a first-year. "It said we all had to be strong and stand united."

"Exactly," said Neville. "So S.A.N.E will do that, won't we?"

Many Slytherins nodded. Some looked panicked, especially Nott. Harry could understand how he felt; how was he supposed to fight Voldemort when he'd practically grown up being brainwashed by his doctrine?

xxx

Harry couldn't have been more right. As Nott left the classroom with Zabini in tow, he was terrified. Nobody seemed to understand what it had been like living in his family, even though Potter and his group could sympathize. They could try to help him all they wanted, and he couldn't help feeling grateful, but at the same time, none of them could really grasp the reality of it. And what would it be like to face his own father in battle, to have the killing curse aimed at him by his own mother? He couldn't help feeling bitter resentment and jealousy when he thought of other people's family relationships.

Nott had always assumed he'd be a Death Eater. It had only been when he'd seen the devastation at the Quidditch World Cup last year that he'd had second thoughts. Just the thought of those two little girls, their eyes staring at the sky, their parents sobbing over them and begging them to wake up, had caused a feeling of tremendous nausea to swell inside of him. Seeing how distraught the parents were, it prompted him to wonder why his family had never been loving like that. If the Dark Lord ordered his mother or father to kill him, they'd do it in a heartbeat, without a second thought. Everything they did was to help the Dark Lord, not to help their son. They had always been stern with him; they'd never given him hugs and kisses or read him bedtime stories. He'd only associated with purebloods growing up, and Hogwarts had been a shock for him.

The summer he'd spent with his aunt was one that caused Nott to think over his life. He now had someone who loved him unconditionally; Aunt Tessa had taken him in and tried to explain how messed up his family really was. He'd always tried to keep his composure, but found himself getting very angry sometimes. Why couldn't she just leave him alone and allow him to sort his own feelings out? He was just so confused right now. He needed space, and time.

He didn't know what it was that had told him he should keep going to S.A.N.E. He wasn't used to people treating him kindly, and the hard facts he had learned about the Death Eaters had really made him see them in a new light. When he'd seen Diggory's body lying on the Quidditch pitch, he'd been in shock. The boy had done nothing but be a good, honest person, and he was killed. It wasn't fair. Something in his mind and heart told him that the right thing to do was prevent more supporters of the Dark Lord from emerging. He was uncomfortable around Potter and his friends, but the support Zabini gave him helped him feel more reassured. It was difficult for him to change his mind about Potter, but it was slowly happening. Throughout his life, he'd heard that the boy was nothing but an arrogant little prick who deserved nothing better than to be done in by the Dark Lord. But he'd seen the haunted, faraway look in Harry's eyes and knew he was far from arrogant. Seeing the death of a best friend right in front of your eyes must be the hardest thing to ever go through.

As Nott and Zabini entered the Slytherin common room, they were confronted by Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson. Not again, thought Nott tiredly. Why can't they just leave us alone?

"So," said Malfoy viciously, standing right in front of the two. Some S.A.N.E members saw what was going on and stood with Nott and Zabini, ready to lend a helping hand if they had to. "Had fun in your stupid little meeting? Do you really think pathetic Potter will win over the Dark Lord?"

"Malfoy, just leave us alone," Blaise said, sounding as tired as Nott felt.

"We don't follow the order of traitors. Right, boys?" smirked Malfoy, looking at Crabbe and Goyle.

"That's right," the two thugs replied, clenching and unclenching their fists.

"Harry's nice to us," said Helena fiercely. "But you, Malfoy, ever since I met you you've done nothing but try to have us obey you. Harry doesn't treat us like servants."

"How dare you!" yelled Malfoy. "This is the house of Salazar Slytherin! Our doctrine is to follow the most powerful wizard in the world, not a pathetic crybaby!"

"Oh, so you're calling You-Know-Who a crybaby," Derek said bravely, standing next to Helena. "Perhaps you get it, after all."

Crabbe and Goyle raised their fists, ready to pound Derek, but Helena put herself in his spot. "We are a noble house," she said firmly. "But that does not mean we have to follow a murderer. Cedric was a good person, he didn't deserve what he got."

"Bullshit," snarled Malfoy. "He was a blood traitor. All blood traitors deserve to die."

Derek aimed a punch at Malfoy, but before he could deliver it, Professor Slughorn entered the room. He saw everyone with glares on their faces and demanded, "What's going on here, what's going on?"

"Malfoy's being a foul, disgusting git," Helena said contemptuously. All could see that she was frightened; she was shorter than Malfoy and knew that Crabbe and Goyle could punch her lights out, but she was going to stand up for what was right. Slytherin wasn't going to be known as the evil house anymore if she had anything to do with it.

"Now, now," said Slughorn. "There's no need for all this fighting. This is Hogwarts; we should all get along! Those of you who went to the meeting with Harry and his friends, how was it?"

"It was good, Professor," said Derek, his face breaking into a smile. "I like him."

"Good, good!" bellowed Slughorn. "Now, I think it's time you all went to bed. You've got another big day tomorrow! Off you go! Don't dawdle!"

He left the room, and the group began to go up the stairs to their dormitories. As Nott started to go to where he was staying with the same group of boys he'd stayed with last year when he'd moved from his old dormitory, Malfoy sneered at the S.A.N.E members, "When the Dark Lord wins and Potter lies dead at his feet, you'll regret this and wish you were on the winning side. You'll get what's coming to you, you filthy traitors."

"Well, when a dementor sucks out your soul, YOU'LL be the one to regret being on the losing side," said Helena angrily. It was plain to see that the girl who had once been so shy had really come out of her shell.

Malfoy just gave the S.A.N.E members a smirk and disappeared into his room, Crabbe and Goyle following. As Nott went into his own, he thought of how divided the Slytherin house was now. He partly blamed Potter for this, but his conscience niggled at him and told him not to. Potter was only doing the right thing, after all.

And Nott vowed to himself, his resolve remaining strong, that no matter what, he couldn't be forced to serve a sociopath who murdered innocent seventeen-year-old boys, tortured and killed younger children, and even murdered his own supporters if they betrayed him. He was still terrified at the thought of one day battling his own parents who had raised him, fed him, and given him a roof over his head, but he couldn't think about that now. All he knew now was that the Dark Lord had to be stopped, because he had totally destroyed his parents' souls.

And the monster would pay for that.


	52. Lost and Alone

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Wow! The response to last chapter was awesome! Thanks for all the great review comments! Here's the next installment.

Chapter 52: Lost and Alone

The next morning, Harry and his friends were sitting at breakfast when Hermione let out an "Oh!" at the headline covering the front of the Daily Prophet.

"What is it, 'Mione?" asked Ron curiously between mouthfuls of kippers and sausages.

"Sturgis Podmore," Hermione said softly. "He's one of the Order members. He was arrested yesterday and will be in Azkaban for six months."

This couldn't be good, Harry thought. "What for?" he asked.

"It says he tried to barge into a very important part of the Ministry," explained Hermione. "It doesn't elaborate on where, but it says he tried to get through a door and was caught."

Wonder if it's the Department of Mysteries, Harry thought cynically. Wonder if Voldemort or one of his henchmen put him under Imperius and wanted him to get the damn prophecy for him or something.

Harry decided he was going to ask Sirius and Remus about this. He had therapy with them this morning, after all.

xxx

After breakfast, it was time for Quidditch tryouts. Harry made the decision that he was going to go and watch, to see who would be a great Keeper. Hermione, even though she wasn't too fond of Quidditch, told him she'd join him, along with Ginny and Neville. Ron said he'd meet them there, he had something to do first.

But soon before tryouts were to start, they could see Ron walking out onto the pitch, holding his broomstick. All the hedges from the horrible maze last June had been taken away now, and Harry was relieved. But he still felt a horrendous jolt of emotional pain when he thought about the Hufflepuff team, who was now without an excellent Seeker.

"Wo, I didn't know Ron was trying out!" breathed Ginny. "He probably didn't tell us because he was afraid Fred and George would find out. They'd never stop teasing him if they did. He's a pretty good Keeper; I hope he doesn't get too nervous."

Harry was impressed that Ron had the guts to do this. Thinking back to breakfast, he hadn't eaten as much as usual. He must have been trying to hide his nerves from the other students.

As time progressed, many people tried out. Some of them were quite good, but others were absolutely hopeless. One boy didn't block a single goal. When it was Ron's turn, everyone watched with bated breath. Thankfully, he seemed to play the best out of everyone, but Harry could see at once that he had a lack of confidence; the two of them would have to work on that. Harry knew how it felt to not feel as if you could do something, and he wanted to show Ron that his Quidditch skills could be improved upon.

The captain, Angelina, gathered the rest of the team, including Harry of course, and they all made their decision. Harry tried not to be biased since Ron was his good mate, but he still thought he'd played the best out of all the candidates. Angelina had to agree, though, so it was good news they brought to Ron as he waited impatiently on the pitch. Once he found out, he whooped with joy.

But that all changed when Harry and his friends got back to the common room. Ginny had just gone to her therapy session, and Fred and George, after taking the mickey out of Ron, were testing their products on first-years again. A game of Exploding Snap had just started between Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Ron when Hermes, Percy's screech owl, tapped at the window.

"What's he doing here?" Ron asked, surprised. "I thought Percy hated all of us." He opened the window, letting Hermes in. He saw that the letter was addressed to him and untied it from his leg and unfolded it. As he read, his face grew angrier and angrier. At the end of it, he crumpled it up and threw it into the fire.

"Ron, what's the matter?" questioned Hermione, concerned. "You didn't even give us a chance to look over it."

"You wouldn't want to, anyway," said Ron, fuming. "I'm telling you, he's the world's biggest prat!"

"What did he say?" asked Neville.

"Basically I should "sever ties" with Harry," Ron said angrily. "He's congratulating me for being a Prefect but then saying how disappointed in me he is about the fact that I got in trouble with Umbitch. "She's a delightful woman." Bah! He's lying through his teeth! Umbridge must have told Fudge about my little yelling match on Monday, and the news must have gotten back to old Bighead Percy."

"Wow, I'm sorry, Ron," said Harry, feeling guilty and uncomfortable. Percy was making Ron and the Weasleys so angry all because of him. Dumbledore was also in the thick of this, and Harry felt awful for making him go through all this as well. And worst of all, this was an insult to Cedric's memory. The seventeen-year-old had gone out like a hero, and hardly anyone was recognizing that.

Ron sat back in his chair and said nothing, but he kept glaring at the floor every few seconds. Hermione seemed to know what Harry was thinking, for she put a comforting hand on his shoulder. After a little while, he grew irritated and just wanted to be left alone, so he got up, gave her a pleading look not to follow him, and walked out of the common room.

He walked around the castle, stopping at the top of the Astronomy Tower to think. With another pang, he couldn't help remembering vividly the time he'd woken up here with Cedric and Cho bending over him. It was before they had become a couple, but they had still been best friends at the time. They'd seen him with tear tracks on his cheeks, for he'd been thinking nonstop about Uncle Vernon's trial. Cedric had made him feel safe, warm, and protected. As he'd fallen asleep in his dorm, he could remember the older boy tucking the blankets around him. Merlin, he was everyone's dream brother. He was such a wonderful person and he had to be cruelly killed by Voldemort right in front of Harry. He missed him so terribly, and the ache in his heart hurt so much. Why couldn't people accept what a great person he had been and believe he'd gone out fighting for the right thing? Instead they believed that Harry was nothing more than an attention-seeking liar.

A few minutes later, Harry slowly made his way to the Room of Requirement. He knew Sirius and Remus too well; they'd recognize his bad mood instantly and they'd want to talk to him about it. Part of him didn't feel like answering, but another part of him wanted to talk all day long. He wanted to finally hold a conversation with someone other than his friends who believed him.

When he got there, he knocked on the door, and his guardians told him to come in. The room was the same as always, and Harry sat down on the fluffy couch between them.

"What's wrong, cub?" Remus asked immediately. "You look really upset."

"Yeah, you seem really out of it," commented Sirius. "What's bothering you, pup? Is it something someone said?"

Harry couldn't take it anymore. "It's EVERYTHING!" he burst out. "No one seems to believe me except you guys, my friends, and a few of the other students! Everyone else thinks I'm lying about Cedric, about Voldemort, about everything! And then I'm worried about you two always going to protect the prophecy, what if one of Voldemort's lackeys does the same thing to you as they did to Sturgis Podmore?"

"You heard about him?" Remus asked gently. "Yes, I'm afraid the Department of Mysteries was where Sturgis was trying to get to. But Peter knows Siri and I can both fight the Imperius Curse. I don't think they'd try that move on us."

Harry only felt slight relief at this; the worry was still eating him alive. "Umbridge's lessons are ridiculous," he fumed. "And she tried to tell Cho that Cedric's death was not caused by Voldemort. How horrible is that! I saw it happen with my own eyes! What's the matter with her?"

"She's a foul bitch, that's what," Sirius said disgustedly.

"Sirius, language," Remus warned. "But Harry, pay her no attention ..."

"Pay her no attention? Pay her no attention?" Harry shouted, standing up. The last week had really, really gotten to him. "How can I pay her no attention when I have to see her every single week for Defense Against the Dark Arts? We're not learning anything in that class, and I don't want to lose more friends like Cedric because of Voldemort! No one will be prepared if Umbridge doesn't let us learn spells!"

"Harry, calm down," his guardians tried to urge him, putting hands on his shoulders and sitting him back down. "We know you're angry, cub," Remus said. "And Padfoot and I both have problems with Umbridge, too. But we don't think this is going to go on for long."

"Voldemort will show himself before long," said Sirius soothingly, the anger just beyond the surface. God, he couldn't stand Dolores Umbridge. "And then the Ministry will be trying to say they're sorry."

"But how many people I love will die before the Ministry does that?" asked Harry bitterly. "Voldemort already killed Cedric!"

There was nothing Sirius or Remus could say to make Harry feel better at this point. They knew the boy just had to get everything off his chest, he just had to rant and rave. They could still see the heartbreak on his face, the heartbreak of not being able to do anything to save Cedric's life. Sure enough, Harry said, "I let Cedric down, you know. He did everything to try to protect me, and I couldn't do the same for him."

"Pup, you did everything you could," Sirius tried to tell him gently, taking one of Harry's hands within his own while Remus took the other. "We feel awful that you had to lose a friend like that and we know you did everything you could to try to help him. Kiddo, do you think Cedric would want you feeling like this?"

As Sirius was talking, he felt his own guilt arise. The advice he was giving to Harry was hard advice for him to follow himself. Every single day he faced the demons of James and Lily's deaths and the part he'd played in them. He'd done everything possible to try to save their lives but Voldemort had still gotten to them. And it was all Sirius's fault that he had.

"I don't know what Cedric would think, do I?" Harry spat. "He's not here for me to talk to, and never will be again, so how should I know?"

"Harry, cub, you knew and were friends with Cedric for over a year," Remus said. "He knew Voldemort was after you, and he knew the danger that posed for himself. He stayed friends with you despite that danger because he loved you, in his own way. Friends always stick by each other, Harry. They don't desert you when the going gets tough. We didn't know Cedric as well as you did, but we're positive he wouldn't want you to beat yourself up over this."

"I just can't help it," Harry cried, his head in his hands. In a trembling voice laced with tears, he explained how the nasty letter Percy had written to Ron had been the straw that broke the camel's back.

"Percy will come around," Remus said. "Harry, we know what we're saying are just empty words right now, but Molly Weasley has told us a lot about him. Percy's always wanted to feel important, he's always dreamed about working at the Ministry."

"Yeah, Ginny told me," Harry mumbled.

"He desperately feels like he wants to belong somewhere," said Sirius. "And he's so different from the rest of his family, he feels like the odd one out. I know that feeling all too well, living in mine. I felt like we were on different planets or something."

"But that was different," Harry protested. "At least you didn't go around calling people liars and attention-starved losers."

"I know," Sirius said softly. "But one thing you've got to understand about Percy, Harry, is that he's very stubborn. Remus and I are sure that once Voldemort shows himself, he'll want to come crawling on home."

"Dunno how accepting Ron will be of that," Harry muttered. "He crumpled up his letter and threw it into the fire after reading it."

"Well, that should show you what a good friend Ron is," Remus said, smiling gently at Harry, who still looked distraught. "He believes you, despite what his brother says."

"And we know you're upset about Cedric," Sirius said. "Remus and I know from first-hand experience about the loss of a friend; we've both been through it before, in the First War. We can't tell you that you'll ever stop missing him, but we will say that it gets better with time."

"It doesn't feel like it right now," said Harry thickly. His guardians put their arms around him, and Harry totally lost it. All the pent-up frustration and sadness of the last week all came spilling forth. Oh, Cedric. As Jeff, Stanley, and Malcolm had said, the older boy had offered him kindness, respect, friendship ... He remembered Cedric's eyes after he had been killed, the totally blank look in them. Before, Cedric's eyes had been comforting to look into; they had radiated honesty and kindness, but at the end they had been so, so empty. Harry buried his face in his guardians' robes as hot tears poured down his cheeks. The sadness tore at him like the biggest knife wound of all, and he didn't think it would ever go away. He had no idea how long he stayed like that, but knew it was a pretty long time. He kept seeing Cedric's limp, lifeless body in his mind's eye, the screams of "Dead! Dead! Dead! Dead! Dead!" ringing in his ears.

xxx

Harry spent the rest of the day in a kind of autopilot haze. He felt shattered and exhausted after the therapy session, but was grateful to his guardians for once again treating him with tender loving kindness. He apologized to them for shouting at them earlier, but they weren't phased by it at all. They were actually glad Harry hadn't bottled up his feelings and instead shared them.

He fell asleep that night to the comfort of Ron's snores, hoping that things would seem better in the morning. As it happened, he did wake up feeling a little more like himself the next day. He felt as though his soul had been bathed in water, cleansed and ready to start fresh. This was how he sometimes felt after a difficult session with his two adopted fathers.

But another nasty surprise came that morning with all the post owls at breakfast. Ron was still in a foul mood, but was treating Harry normally; he didn't blame him for the letter at all.

"Oh, no," breathed Hermione when the Daily Prophet arrived.

"What is it?" asked Harry, that familiar feeling of dread building in the pit of his stomach.

"Umbridge has become the Hogwarts High Inquisitor," she said, a disgusted sneer on her face. "Apparently she now has the right to inspect all classes to see if the teachers are up to snuff. If she finds that they aren't, she's totally within her boundaries to fire them."

Harry scowled. "Who made up this rule?"

"Fudge, of course," said Hermione. "The Ministry's really starting to interfere at this school now."

Ron began to snicker, and Hermione raised a questioning eyebrow at him. "I can't wait until she inspects McGonagall," he guffawed.

"Yeah, that'll be a good one," said Ginny, squeezing Harry's hand. "McGonagall won't let that toad ruin her class!"

"True," said Ron. "But man, I can't believe this! I forgot to tell you all that this was also in Percy's letter. He mentioned something about an important article today."

Ron had caught Ginny up on everything Percy had said to him in his letter yesterday, which had caused her to say viciously that next time she saw the prat, she'd paint his face with a horde of bats and bogeys, because he deserved it.

The rest of the day was spent doing homework outside. The weather was nice, so they decided to do it under the beech tree James, Peter, Remus, and Sirius had so often occupied in their Hogwarts days. They invited Cho to join them, and she was pretty angry as well when Ron informed her of Percy's letter. She was furious on Harry's behalf that Percy was being such an idiot. Harry still couldn't believe it when it came to Cho. Cedric had been her boyfriend and yet she still wanted to be friends with him. Maybe what everyone was saying was really true; maybe it really wasn't Harry's fault that Cedric had died. But it would take a lot of time for this to sink in. Cedric had been dragged along for the ride when Voldemort had only needed Harry, and it shouldn't have been that way.

At supper that night, the talk of the Great Hall was the next morning's classes. All the students were wondering what Umbridge's inspections would be like, and Harry was one of them. How humiliated would she make the teachers feel? Would she ask the students questions about their classes? Harry vowed to himself that he would defend them all, that he wouldn't give her a reason to fire any one of them. He desperately wanted Hagrid to return, but also dreaded it; he didn't want Umbridge to belittle him just because he was a half-giant and find a reason to sack him.

So when Harry drifted to sleep that night, he got his mind ready for the next morning's happenings. It would definitely shape up to be an interesting day.


	53. The Start of a Rebellion

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Wow, thanks for the praise for the last chapter as well! I'm so glad everyone's enjoying the story so much!

Chapter 53: The Start of a Rebellion

But Umbridge did not inspect either History of Magic or Potions the next day. On the contrary, those classes were quiet, unless you counted Slughorn's booming voice, which would be weird not to count. At lunchtime, Harry and his friends talked over the matter of Umbridge, and Ginny said she had inspected her Care of Magical Creatures class with Grubbly-Plank, saying it had gone over quite well because the professor knew what she was doing.

But Harry, Ron, and Neville got to see for themselves what inspections were like when they arrived at North Tower for Divination. As they entered the classroom, they spotted Umbridge standing before Trelawney's desk with a clipboard and quill.

"Bet she'll ask the old bat to predict something," said Ron.

"I kind of feel sorry for her," said Harry as they sat down.

As the lesson passed, Umbridge wrote many notes down on her clipboard as Trelawney taught the lesson. But the woman was very frazzled, and sometimes didn't even talk in her misty voice. It seemed as though she was always on her guard, expecting Umbridge to spring something unexpected on her.

Sure enough, Ron's prediction came true towards the end of the period. "I was wondering," said Umbridge in her sweet, syrupy voice, "whether you could predict something for me."

Trelawney's expression grew angry. "You must understand, ma'am, the Inner Eye does not See upon command!" she screeched.

"Not even a teensy weensy little prophecy?" said Umbridge with a tiny, girlish laugh. "Come on, I'm sure you can think up something!" Her smile was wide, and Harry knew he hated her with a passion.

"Oh, I think I do see something!" exclaimed Trelawney, the fury on her face mingling with a look of pretend concentration. "Oh, my word!" she shrieked. "I think I see '' oh, no ... YOU ARE IN GRAVE DANGER!"

Ron began to snicker, as did several other people in the class. Umbridge scribbled a note on her clipboard. "Very well," she said. "You can expect the results of your inspection in ten days' time." With that, she flounced out of the room.

When they met up with Hermione and went to Defense, they explained to her what had happened. Harry had a sinking feeling; another period with Umbridge was not to his liking. She would probably make them read the stupid textbook again.

Sure enough, she said with a simpering smile when everyone showed up, "I would like you to read chapter two of your textbook, please. There will be no need to talk."

Hermione put her hand in the air again, and Umbridge walked over to her. "You had a question, Miss Granger?" she asked sweetly.

"Yes, ma'am," answered Hermione. "I've already read chapter two."

"Then read chapter three, please."

"I've already read that one, too. I've read the whole book."

"Well, in that case," said Umbridge, her toadlike face breaking into a smirk, "you should be able to tell me what Slinkhard says in chapter fifteen about counterjinxes."

"He says they're improperly named," declared Hermione at once. "He says it's just a way of making the creators feel like their jinxes are acceptable. However, I disagree with this statement."

"Oh, you do, do you?" asked Umbridge, her voice adopting an icy edge to it.

"Yes, I do," said Hermione. "He doesn't like jinxes, does he? But I think they can be really useful when they're used defensively."

"Five points from Gryffindor," trilled Umbridge.

"For what?" blurted Ron loudly.

"For disrupting my class," said Umbridge, smiling widely. "Every teacher with the possible exception of Professor Quirrell would not have passed a Ministry inspection, for they all taught you things you should not know."

"Oh yeah?" shouted Ron. "You did know, didn't you, that Quirrell had You-Know-Who sticking out of the back of his head the entire year?"

The class gaped in shock, Hermione giving him a "why-did-you-get-involved?" look. "Detention, Mr. Weasley!" shrilled Umbridge. "Tonight!"

Ron fumed in his seat. More writing "I will not listen to lies" on the back of his hand. He thought of the savage pleasure he would get at seeing Umbridge's stubby fingers writing the words "I will shut the hell up." Over the past week, he'd snuck to the library some nights to search for ways to undo the charms Umbridge had placed upon him, but hadn't had any luck as of yet.

xxx

At dinner, Angelina Johnson angrily stormed up to Harry and his friends. Ron was commiserating with them, talking about what a sick bitch Umbridge was when she cleared her throat.

"Ronald Weasley!" she yelled. "How could you land yourself in detention again? You're going to miss Quidditch practice!"

"Well, it's not like I CHOSE to be in detention, is it?" Ron screamed right back.

"Mr. Weasley! Miss Johnson! What inappropriate behavior!" reprimanded Professor McGonagall, coming over from the staff table. "You will not have a screaming match in the middle of the Great Hall! What on Earth is the problem?"

"Ron got himself in detention with Umbridge again!" Angelina defended herself.

"Mr. Weasley, is this true?" asked McGonagall, her face forming a thin line. Ron nodded miserably. "What did I tell you about keeping your temper in front of Umbridge?" she demanded. "You are a foolish boy." Muttering to herself, she walked away.

xxx

The next day, Umbridge inspected both Transfiguration and Care of Magical Creatures. Seeing her inspect McGonagall's class was hilarious, for whenever she interrupted with her stupid little "hem, hem," cough, McGonagall would either ignore her or turn around with her most furious expression and demand, "YES?" and then come back with a sarcastic comment in answer to Umbridge's statement.

When she inspected Grubbly-Plank, Draco Malfoy told her that Grubbly-Plank was a much better teacher than Hagrid. Ron earned himself yet another detention when he spat that the only reason Malfoy had gotten hurt in the hippogriff episode two years ago was because he hadn't bothered to pay any attention to what Hagrid told the class to do. Hermione looked at him exasperatedly while Harry gazed at him sympathetically. Needless to say, Harry's anger at Umbridge was frothing and boiling. Why wouldn't she let this vendetta against the Gryffindors go?

That was what the group found themselves talking about the following evening as they sat around the Gryffindor common room. "We should really do something, you know," said Ron furiously.

"We should," Hermione agreed. "It's like Zabini said last week. If there's really a war about to start, we should learn the spells we need to learn whether Umbridge likes it or not. I think we should teach ourselves and any other people who want to learn."

The night before, when Harry had gone to bed, Hermione had stayed up to wait for Ron to get back from his detention. The two of them had then talked about maybe asking Harry to teach them Defense, but had decided against it in the end. It wasn't a good idea to badger him about his duel with Voldemort and what he had done, for it would force him to relive Cedric's death and that's not what they wanted. But something should still be done about Umbridge, so their agreement in the end was for all three to teach together. After all, Ron and Hermione had been on many life-threatening adventures with Harry.

"You mean, we should have a rebellion set up or something?" asked Harry. "But Umbridge'll find out, there are ears all around the school!"

"Oh, don't worry, I have that well in hand," smiled Hermione proudly. "I know the perfect way to have no one tell. The three of us have been on many expeditions together, it seems. We should let Ginny, Neville, and Cho in on this also; I know they haven't done as much as we have, but maybe if the six of us team up together and a pair of us teaches a group of people a few spells, we can make real progress."

Ron looked seriously at Harry as he spoke his next words. "We should do this, in Diggory's memory," he said softly. "I'm sorry I never really gave him a chance, Harry. But we should dedicate this to him, you know, make it so that he didn't die in vain."

Harry's face clouded over with sadness, remembering his friend. He definitely agreed with the sentiment, and he told Ron and Hermione that gratefully. When they saw Ginny and Neville later that night, they informed them of the plan, and they all agreed to tell Cho the next day.

Hermione spent the next few days making plans. Cho was told, and so were the Slytherins that were part of S.A.N.E. It was decided that on Saturday, everyone would go to the Room of Requirement to have their first meeting. But instead of going as a huge group, they'd leave in twos and threes so as not to arouse suspicion. The Slytherins were strongly recommended to keep it to themselves, for if Malfoy got wind of this, the consequences could be quite dire. Hermione was the one who was passing the information around, and she was seen talking to Justin Finch-Fletchley, who was supposed to tell any Hufflepuff who wanted to join where the room was. Cho was in charge of telling the Ravenclaws.

On that Saturday, Harry nervously told Sirius and Remus in his therapy session what the group of friends were planning on doing. He was reluctant to tell them, for he didn't want them to be disappointed that he was breaking the rules. But Ron convinced him, telling him that the free-spirited Marauder in them would approve. He was right, but his two guardians did tell him to be extremely careful. A rebellion this huge had to be kept secret, but they thought the idea was wonderful. "We would have done the same thing," Sirius said proudly, ruffling Harry's hair.

"But please promise us you'll come to us if there're any problems," Remus implored. Harry immediately agreed.

xxx

That afternoon, there were tons of people who came to the Room of Requirement. Harry felt rather overwhelmed as he looked at all of them; he'd never realized how many students in the school hated Dolores Umbridge. A reluctant and scared Theodore Nott was there, along with Helena, Derek, Zabini, Bulstrode, Greengrass, and some other younger Slytherins. Unfortunately, this caused a problem immediately. "What're SLYTHERINS doing here?" said a blond Hufflepuff disgustedly.

"They have as much right to be here as anyone else," Cho replied adamantly. "And what's your name?"

"Zacharias Smith," said the boy. "And don't you think they'll just go running to Malfoy? I know all about your little S.A.N.E campaign, and I think it's nuts that you're trying to help them. They're all sneaky little bastards."

Helena got up and faced Smith, her hands on her hips and an angry look on her face. "Excuse me," she said loudly, "but Cho is right. We are not all evil, thank you very much, and we hate Umbridge as much as you do. So don't get on your high horse about us all being Death Eaters, all right?"

Harry was so proud of Helena; she had really come a long way. He looked at her with a smile, and Smith seemed to deflate. "Fine," he spat furiously, folding his arms.

"And if you're going to act like that, you can just leave, Smith," said Ron.

"Defending Slytherins, are you, Weasley?" asked Michael Corner, a Ravenclaw.

"People change, Corner," said Ginny frostily, glaring at him. "You should know that as well as anyone else."

"I think we should get started, now that everyone's here," said Hermione, clearing her throat. "Good afternoon, everyone. We are here today because we want to start a rebellion."

"Yeah!" many of the students cheered.

"But guys, this is serious," Harry said, standing up and looking important. "This isn't just some silly kid's game. This is the real thing, folks."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Smith rather rudely.

Harry gazed at him stonily. "I'm talking about war, Smith," he said, his heart heavy. "I'm talking about us learning spells to defend ourselves against Death Eaters."

"But where's the PROOF You-Know-Who's back?" asked Corner.

"I can't give you any except my word, unless you want to see my memory of Cedric being forced to his knees and then being hit by the killing curse," said Harry, his patience just about running out. Ginny put a comforting hand on his shoulder as he began to tremble. Just the thought of Cedric made his knees go weak. To have this amount of people staring at him, looking at him like he was either a hero or a nutcase, made him extremely uncomfortable. He began to regret ever going along with this idea.

Corner immediately looked shocked and backed down. "You will not badger Harry about Cedric," Ginny told the group sternly. "You will also not pester him about You-Know-Who's return. Our goal here is to learn spells because we all believe Harry. Anyone who doesn't believe Harry can leave, the door is THAT way." She pointed to the right.

"So how do we learn spells?" asked Ian, the sixth-year who had cornered Harry and his friends the week before with his girlfriend, expressing his belief in him.

"We teach ourselves," replied Neville. "And the six of us: Harry, Ron, Ginny, Cho, Hermione, and myself will teach you. We should think up a name to call ourselves."

"I was thinking of something like the Defense Association," explained Cho. "The DA."

"I like it," said Ginny. "Either that or Dumbledore's Army. After all, Harry told us that that's what the Ministry's trying to stop from happening; they think Dumbledore's trying to build an army that will use weapons against them." Indeed, Sirius and Remus had informed Harry of this.

"That's ridiculous!" said Hannah Abbott. "But I love the name." Everyone else nodded in silent agreement, and then applause rose from the crowd.

"Please," Hannah continued, looking nervous. "Listen, I have a question. Please don't be angry with me, Harry, but I just really want to know, because Cedric was my friend as well." Several Hufflepuffs nodded in agreement. "What did he face before he died?"

Harry cleared his throat, his shoulders sagging as he knew deep down that he had to tell the group; they had the right to know what had happened to their classmate. "He and Voldemort duelled," he said slowly.

There was a collective gasp from the many students, and Harry said, "Look, guys, how can we even fight him if we can't say his name? You're going to have to get used to hearing it. I hate to sound harsh, but when you're facing him you can't be thinking about what his name is, you need to be putting your all into fighting him and surviving."

"Was it a long duel?" asked Ernie McMillan.

"It was quite long, yes," said Harry. Ginny put an arm around Cho, whose tears were flowing freely down her cheeks. "Everyone should be proud of him, he did very well. But as you know, Voldemort is a very powerful wizard, and unfortunately, Cedric was outmatched. He put up an excellent fight, though, and basically told Voldemort to go to hell at the end."

"He told the Dark Lord to go to hell?" asked Blaise Zabini, pride in his eyes.

"That's our Ced." said Justin Finch-Fletchley. Sadness shone on his face.

"He did," said Harry, his eyes also pricking with tears. "And we owe it to him to do this in his memory. We mustn't let more people lose their lives to Voldemort. If we practice to fight, we should be able to surprise him and his Death Eaters if they spring anything on us."

"What are his Death Eaters like?" asked Sarah, Ian's girlfriend, slowly.

"They like to use verbal taunts against their enemies as well as physical spells. That's what Harry told us," said Neville, while Ginny led Harry to a seat and helped him to sit down. It was obvious that this had really worn Harry out. The others were truly sorry that they'd dragged him into this, even though he'd been more than willing to do this in Cedric's memory. They just hadn't expected all these questions to come rushing at him, but they should have known, really.

"What does You-Know-Who look like?" asked Smith loudly.

"If you must know, he has red eyes, a snakelike face, and slits for nostrils," Harry said in a monotone. "Happy now, Smith?"

The boy looked taken aback. "Wh-Why does he look like that?" he stammered.

"Lots of magical transformations," said Ginny quietly. "As a young man, he was fascinated with dark magic and loved to play around with it. What he looks like now is the result."

"How did he return?" asked Anthony Goldstein curiously.

"A dark potion," said Neville seriously. "And a few magic words. It was as simple as that."

"Why did you survive and Cedric didn't?" asked Joe Baum, a third-year Hufflepuff.

"I don't know, honestly," Harry sighed. "A lot of luck. I wasn't meant to."

"Please don't say that, Harry," said Ginny, squeezing her best friend's hand. "You survived for a reason, and that was to keep Cedric's memory alive. I know wherever he is now, he'd be really proud of you." Harry looked at her gratefully, the sadness still lingering in his green eyes.

"All right," said Hermione in a businesslike tone. "Let's meet every Sunday, starting eight days from now. Anyone who wants to join Dumbledore's Army should sign their name on this piece of parchment." She wrote down "Dumbledore's Army" on it, and many people went up to her and signed their name. Nott and some Slytherins looked the most reluctant, but with Zabini, Bulstrode, and Greengrass's nods of assent, they wrote their names down.

Harry told himself he would talk to Hermione later about meeting every Sunday. Something told him that if they did this, their activities would become suspicious. He would try to think of a better plan.

"We're all in this together," said Ron as everyone began to pack up to leave the room. "No one is to antagonize each other, with special emphasis on no one hounding the Slytherins. As we said before, they are a part of this rebellion as well."

"Damn straight," Helena chirped, smiling at Nott who still looked panicked. She whispered something in his ear, causing a slight grin to form on his face.

"Everyone leave in twos and threes like we came in," said Cho, who had gotten over another bout of crying from missing Cedric. The group obeyed her command. Before anyone knew it, it was just Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and Cho left in the room.

"I think this is going to work," said Ginny softly. "Are you all right, Harry?"

"I guess so," Harry mumbled. "It's just really hard, explaining that to all of them, you know? We're going to be putting our lives on the line here; this isn't just some easy classroom duel. This is the difference between life and death."

"We know, mate," said Ron solemnly, "and we're with you." He put a hand on Harry's shoulder in solidarity.

"Yes, we are," agreed Neville, with the others nodding.

"Thanks, guys," said Harry, meaning it. "I really appreciate it."


	54. Rebellion Under Way

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Author's Note: First of all, I would like to thank each and every one of you that kept me on your follow list for this story. I know I haven't updated in an extremely long time. This story was on hiatus forever, because I lost inspiration for it, and didn't know where to take my plot next.

But I really, really, really want to get this finished, and I definitely have more incentive now. You see, my brother, Aaron, was the biggest HP fan, and got me into fanfiction in the first place. Unfortunately, on March 2 of this year, he passed away from major health problems which involved his kidneys. It's been a tough year, but I am slowly healing from it. One of the ways in which I am accomplishing this is doing things in his memory which would make him proud. So this, along with other projects I'm working on, is in his memory. Love you Aaron!

By the way, since it's been so long since I updated, if any of you forgot anything that happened in this story, feel free to email me and I'll fill you in. You don't have to read the fic all over again!

Okay, onto the chapter!

Chapter 54: Rebellion Under Way

The next morning, when the group of friends went downstairs, they made a very unpleasant discovery. On the wall was a big poster which proclaimed:

BY ORDER OF THE High Inquisitor of Hogwarts

All Student Organizations, Societies, Teams, Groups, and Clubs are henceforth disbanded. An Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three or more students. Permission to re-form may be sought from the High Inquisitor (Professor Umbridge). No Student Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club may exist without the knowledge and approval of the High Inquisitor. Any student found to have formed, or to belong to, an Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club that has not been approved by the High Inquisitor will be expelled. The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-four.

Signed:

Dolores Jane Umbridge

HIGH INQUISITOR

"Oh, no," groaned Harry. "How did Umbridge find out?"

"Bet it was Malfoy," Ron said viciously. "Bet he saw some of the Slytherins leaving and told her, or perhaps he's angry about S.A.N.E and decided to get back at us that way."

"Oh, I forgot about that," said Ginny unhappily. "That means we'll have to ask permission to reform S.A.N.E!"

"I'll talk to Slughorn," said Harry earnestly. "I don't think Umbridge has a problem with him. Perhaps if he wheedles her enough, she'll agree. I'm not so sure, though."

Neville looked miserable as well. "What about Dumbledore's Army, then?" he asked.

"Are you kidding?" said Hermione. "We're doing it anyway!"

"Wow, 'Mione, you really are breaking the rules this time," said Ron, grinning at her in admiration.

"That's because this time this is no laughing matter," said Hermione crossly. "This is the difference between us being prepared for what's out there and being totally defenseless."

xxx

At breakfast, an even nastier announcement was made clear to them as Angelina came running over, almost in tears. "I have to ask permission to reform the Quidditch team!" she said hysterically.

"You've got to be joking," said Harry.

"I'm not," said Angelina grimly. "After all, Quidditch is a team, isn't it?"

"True," said Ron, his face going red with anger. "Why is Umbridge so obsessed with messing our lives up?"

xxx

That day at Potions, they arrived at the classroom to find that Slughorn was nowhere in sight. So they lined up outside, mulling in their pessimistic thoughts. They weren't helped at all by the malicious, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy as he strolled along, Crabbe and Goyle at his side.

"... My father's been looking for a way to get Arthur Weasley sacked for years, you know. I can't wait until that happens. Oh, and guess what? Umbridge already gave us permission to reform the Slytherin Quidditch team ... fancy that! I wonder if Gryffindor will be able to play ... that will be a sight to see! ..."

"Don't rise," whispered Hermione to Ron, who looked like he was about ready to leap on Malfoy.

xxx

During class that day, Umbridge inspected. Slughorn didn't seem to realize what a toad this woman was, because he answered all of her questions with a smile, and watched in fascination as she went around to each student, asking them questions about the class and what they liked about it. Harry looked over at Malfoy, but he couldn't discern what the blond boy was saying. Ron still looked livid, ready to pound him one.

After class, Harry went over to Slughorn and discussed the matter of S.A.N.E with him. "Ah, yes," Slughorn boomed, frowning. "Do not worry, though, my boy. I shall talk to Dolores Umbridge, for you are really helping my Slytherins."

"Thanks," said Harry, his spirits slightly lifted.

xxx

The day got even worse as Divination approached. When they got to North Tower and entered the classroom, Trelawney was in an extremely foul mood. She jerkily handed out The Dream Oracle, saying in a tearful voice, "Continue interpreting your dreams right this instant."

"Excuse me, Professor," Lavender Brown said timidly. "But what's the matter? Is something wrong?"

"Wrong? WRONG?" Trelawney shouted. "No, no, dear, nothing is wrong, except that I've been insulted, stepped upon! Probation ... how I have been shamed! What shall I do?" She buried her face in her hands, sobs shaking her body.

Probation. Trelawney was on probation. Lavender and Parvati went running over to her, to try to comfort her. But she pushed them away, still mumbling about inspections and probation. Harry actually felt sorry for her; even if she was an old fraud, it didn't give Umbridge the right to get her so worked up!

xxx

The next few days of the week passed with heavy gloom in the air. The news was spread around that the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw Quidditch teams had been given permission to reform, but Gryffindor's permission was still nowhere in sight.

However, this changed Thursday evening when Angelina, beaming, came over to them at dinnertime. "Guess what?" she squealed. "I talked to Professor McGonagall, and I think she talked to Umbridge because we've been given permission to play Quidditch!"

Harry's smiled at this. Quidditch was one of his favorite things, and to have that taken away from him was torture. It was also one of the distractions he used to help him get away from his endless thoughts of Cedric and Voldemort. "That's wonderful, Angelina," he said, still smiling.

"Practice tomorrow, then," said Angelina brightly. "After dinner, all right?"

"All right," said Ron, who looked nervous but also very happy.

xxx

Sunday came before anyone knew it, and it was time for the first official Dumbledore's Army meeting. When everyone had arrived in the Room of Requirement, Hermione stood up importantly and began to talk.

"Hello, everyone," she said. "I have a slight change of plans to announce to you all. Do you remember that we chose to meet on Sundays at three o'clock?"

There were some nods of assent from the students and some "yes's."

"Good," said Hermione. "Well, I've been thinking about it, and this may not be the best course of action. It may look suspicious if the same groups of people keep disappearing every Sunday. So I've invented a method of telling everyone when the next DA meeting is, because we'll be switching up the days of the week in which they occur. Here are some Galleons," she said, holding up a bag of them. "These are fake Galleons which will grow hot when I set the time and date for our next meeting. When you look at them, the numbers will show you just that."

"Wow, you should've been in Ravenclaw, Granger," said Terry Boot.

Hermione beamed with pride. "Oh, thank you," she said, blushing. "But the Sorting Hat knew best."

"Right then," said Cho, looking at the group with determination. "The first spell we are going to start with today is the Expelliarmus spell."

"What?" said Zacharias Smith disbelievingly. "You mean we're going to learn that stupid spell? What'll that do against Death Eaters?"

"It may save your life," said Harry, feeling his temper start to rise. "You may just rid a dangerous opponent of their wand that way. Sometimes Death Eaters are so busy verbally taunting you and thinking they got to you that they underestimate their adversary's strengths."

"Oh," said Smith, deflating. "Let's learn it, then."

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Cho then spent time teaching the rest of the students the spell. Out of all of them, Ian, the sixth-year Gryffindor prefect who Harry had spoken to before, got it the fastest. There was some laughter among the crowd when he refused to disarm his girlfriend, Sarah, because he was too much of a gentleman. But Sarah just laughed and begged him to do it, causing Ian to say, "Well, if you really want me to, then-EXPELLIARMUS!" and her wand went sailing out of her hand.

Harry was a little annoyed at first that some of these students were finding the whole thing amusing, but realized in the end that sometimes, in a grim situation, you must get some fun out of it. But sadness clouded over his eyes again as he thought of how he and Cedric had worked on spells the year before, and Cedric had teased him about Harry not wanting to stun him because of the fear of hurting him. His gray eyes had been filled with laughter, but there was a kindness there which emanated from him in great bursts. Here's to you, mate, Harry thought as shouts of "Expelliarmus!" were echoed all around the room.

After the meeting was over, Colin Creevy stayed behind and walked up to the group. Usually, the boy looked excitable and ready for anything, but now he looked nervous. "Excuse me," he said timidly, "but I'd like to tell you something."

"What is it, Colin?" asked Neville kindly.

"I had a really bad dream last night," said Colin, sitting down on one of the chairs. "I dreamed that Death Eaters attacked our home. I-I really need to learn how to fight. I know that's what we're doing right now, but I'm afraid I won't be good enough when the time comes." His eyes filled with tears and he said shakily, "In my dream, Dennis was fighting too. I told him not to, I told him to stay away and let me handle it, but he wouldn't listen. A rough-voiced Death Eater shot a killing curse at him. I-I-I tried to jump in front of it, but I didn't g-get there in time. I wanted to s-sacrifice myself for him and I couldn't even be a good brother. It was all my fault that he died!"

"No, it wasn't," said Ginny soothingly. "Listen, Colin, what happened wasn't real. It was only a dream."

"You must really love your brother," said Hermione, her own eyes moistening at the pure love emanating from Colin. "Self-sacrifice is an extremely noble act. But listen, even if that had happened in real life, nobody would have blamed you for not getting there in time. Nobody expects you to give up your life, I'm sure Dennis wouldn't blame you at all. Have you told him about it?"

"No," mumbled Colin. "I'm too ashamed to. I tried to be a good brother, and I failed."

"Colin, you're a wonderful brother," said Harry honestly. He didn't know much about the younger boy, because in the past he'd tried to distance himself from him. But he knew one thing for sure: he and Dennis were extremely close, and Colin was the best big brother to him. "You can't beat yourself up about what happened. No one can expect children to fight Death Eaters, it's horrible that you even had to dream that. We will teach you how to defend yourself, but please, please, do what you can to stay safe. Think very hard about the decisions you make, and know that life is a precious thing. To choose to sacrifice it for another is a huge decision."

Colin, still trembling, got up and shook the group's hands. Hermione, Ginny, and Cho pulled him into a hug. More thoughts of Cedric came swirling back to Harry; when Colin had talked about sacrificing himself for his brother, Harry couldn't help but think himself a hypocrite for telling him not to beat himself up about it, because he still blamed himself for not being able to save Cedric. He found that he did that a lot; believed something about someone else but not the same thing about himself.

xxx

"Rise, my loyal brethren!" Lord Voldemort hissed as he and his servants gathered in the master bedroom of Riddle Manor. "Severus, what news does the old fool bring from Hogwarts?"

"Umbridge is refusing to teach any of the students proper Defense Against the Dark Arts," Severus Snape said silkily. "They are reading the textbook, and that is all."

Voldemort's lipless mouth curved into a terrible smile. "All the better," he said softly. "They will not be prepared when we strike, will they, my loyal servants?"

"No, they won't!" shrieked Bellatrix Lestrange.

"And what of the Potter boy?" asked Voldemort, scowling angrily as he thought of his nemesis.

"Ah," said Lucius Malfoy, bowing to Voldemort and kissing the hem of his robes. "My son Draco wrote to me and informed me that Harry Potter is still conducting his little S.A.N.E campaign to bring Slytherins over to his side."

Voldemort snarled with rage. "That will just not do!" he bellowed. "Is dear Draco trying to win them back?"

"He is, my Lord," said Lucius, bowing again.

"You will make sure he succeeds, otherwise your punishment will be most ... painful. Is that clear?" sneered Voldemort.

"Very clear, my Lord," Lucius answered.

"Are there any signs of rebellion coming from our noble Harry?" Voldemort asked with a smirk. "From our meeting last year with his idiot friend Diggory, whom I had to kill because of him ..." There was laughter from the Death Eaters, Bellatrix's high-pitched screech of a giggle being the loudest, "I could discern that he will do anything he can to get his entourage ready for battle. But they are children, children who have far less experience than I. They are foolish, thinking they can fight me."

"Draco told me something might be happening," declared Lucius. "He swore he saw many Slytherins leave the common room when there was no S.A.N.E meeting about to take place. He expressed his concerns to me about that in the same letter."

"Do you happen to have the letter with you, Lucius?"

"I'm afraid not, my Lord. It is back at the manor. I will bring it next time, my Lord."

"Very well. Crucio!"

Lucius writhed on the ground, screaming and twitching in horrendous pain. "Ah, such a lack of control," Voldemort sneered. "You are so different from my obedient pet Severus, who refuses to scream for me." He finally lifted the curse. "Dismissed!" he roared. "Get out of my sight!"

The Death Eaters didn't need to be told twice. They all bowed to their master and left in a hurry, not wanting to incur Voldemort's wrath.

Once they were all gone, Voldemort continued to sit on his throne, stroking Nagini with his spiderlike fingers. "Ah, Nagini," he purred.

"Master," Nagini answered reverently.

"I have a wondrous plan for you which will be taking place in a couple of months," Voldemort smiled. "Would you like to hear it?"

"Yes, Master, I would be enraptured."

"Good, good. We will make it look for now as though the prophecy in the bowels of the Department of Mysteries is safe, but in December, you will strike, my slippery serpent."

If snakes could smile, Nagini would be doing just that. "And who am I to attack, Master?"

"Ah, if anything should break Potter, it will be the death of the blood traitor Arthur Weasley," Voldemort declared. "He will think it is his fault that another one he was close to died, just like it was his fault Diggory's gone. He will feel uncomfortable talking to the Weasleys and it will make him more vulnerable. You heard and saw his reaction to Diggory's death, did you not?"

"Yes, and he was so weak," Nagini hissed.

"Yes, indeed," smirked Voldemort. "Love and friendship are weaknesses, but I shall exploit them all in due course. Young Mr. Potter will get a very unpleasant taste of my treatment before he is subjected to a slow, painful death. Perhaps as he is dying, I shall show him the memories of the Weasley bitch in the arms of my younger counterpart." He licked his lips hungrily. "What do you think, Nagini?"

"I think that is an excellent idea, Master," Nagini hissed malevolently.

"Thank you, my faithful serpent," said Voldemort, stroking her again.

"Master, I must inform you that I do not trust Severus Snape," Nagini said after a few moments of silence. "He is too cunning to be trusted."

"Thank you, my serpent, but you can be assured that I am watching his every move," said Voldemort. "He will not get away with treachery. Which reminds me, we must keep looking for Igor Karkaroff. "

"Yes, Master. He was the servant who fled when you returned, am I correct?"

"Indeed you are, Nagini. I must retire to my bed now, and think over my plans."

"Yes, Master."

As Voldemort lay in bed that night, he thought about his upcoming plans. He knew that the death of the blood traitor Weasley was the next big step in his goal to defeating Harry Potter. He would have Nagini go to the Ministry, attack Arthur when he was on guard duty, and kill him. He would need to have a Death Eater, perhaps Lucius, Imperius one of the Order members into telling him when he was on guard duty; Dedalus might be the one to play with. After all, the man was denser than a toothbrush. Oh, He could hardly wait until December; it couldn't arrive fast enough. With flashes of Harry's sadness over Cedric breaking through their connection, he fell asleep.


	55. A Sick Pup

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Author's Note: Since I neglected this story for so long, I decided to give you another chapter in a very short amount of time! I am so thankful to those who are still reading! I really appreciate it! Thanks also for your sympathy about my brother. It's been very difficult, but I am glad I can channel my emotions into writing.

And yes, I know that for the past few chapters, my story has been keeping to canon quite a bit. However, this chapter and the ones to follow will be extremely different. Some of you may hate me by the end of the next one, and that's all I'm going to say!

Okay, here goes.

Chapter 55: A Sick Pup

As time passed, things at Hogwarts continued to progress. Harry and his friends went on with their rebellion, conducting Dumbledore's Army meetings every week. Even though Harry was sometimes nervous about doing it, the end result was always thrilling. There was so much determination within the group, and everyone was practicing their spells really hard.

Harry could see that the three people who had the most determination were Neville, Colin, and Cho. Cho's motivation was obviously Cedric; she wanted to fight to avenge him, and this was perfectly understandable. Colin's motivation was the dream he'd had about his little brother dying and him not being able to do anything to save him. Neville fought because he knew that Bellatrix, Rodolphus, Rabastan, and Barty Crouch, Jr. were still out there, and the fact that Crouch Jr. had taught him all last year had really gotten to him. So now he had a fierce drive to destroy the evil in the world.

Since Slughorn was such a suck-up to Dolores Umbridge, she allowed S.A.N.E to keep running. So Harry and his friends still conducted their weekly meetings with the Slytherins. Helena was still doing a fantastic job coming into her own, and she was a big help to any student who was having a hard time. One could often glimpse her talking quietly to Theodore Nott, who always seemed to look anxious. Sometimes the Slytherins discussed the matter of Voldemort, but other times, more lighthearted topics were addressed.

To say that the first Quidditch match went well would be a lie, though. The Gryffindors ended up winning because Harry caught the Snitch, but some of the Slytherins on the team played the dirtiest the Gryffindors had ever seen. Many of them were part of Draco Malfoy's group, not part of S.A.N.E. Malfoy himself kept cracking insults about Cedric the whole time, which made Harry angrier and angrier.

Also, Malfoy and his cronies had made up a horrible song, entitled "Weasley is Our King." Apparently, Malfoy had been spying when the Gryffindors practiced, and he made fun of the fact that Ron lacked confidence when it came to blocking goals. Not only was the song insulting to Ron's self-esteem, but it also ridiculed his family. This made Ron have an even harder time on the pitch, and Harry could see the total misery in his eyes as he tried over and over again to block a single goal.

Things came to a head at the end of the game when Malfoy said something that made Harry the angriest he had ever been at him. He made a comment about the Weasleys' pigsty smelling like Godric's Hollow, and that's why he liked it. The way he said it was extremely derogatory and degrading. Instead of beating him up, though, Harry left the pitch in tears. Fred and George, on the other hand, had different ideas. They were the ones to beat Malfoy into a bloody pulp, and then Umbridge proceeded to kick them off the Quidditch team.

Needless to say, Angelina Johnson was furious. Tryouts were held so that two replacement Beaters could fill their positions, and they ended up being, surprisingly, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas. Fred and George received a Howler from Mrs. Weasley, and they were in a foul mood for days.

Umbridge was as insufferable as ever, only allowing the students to read their textbooks in class. Hermione, of course, had memorized the whole book, but read it again just to appease the toadlike woman. Ron sometimes couldn't refrain from making a derisive comment, so he was seen to be trudging to detention many times after supper. The Concealing Charm Umbridge placed on the back of his hand still held firm and true, but Ron's resolve to find a way to remove it did as well.

Harry was also still having his therapy sessions to try and help him through the guilt and grief of Cedric's death. His guardians' kindness was helping, but the nightmares still persisted on haunting him. The image of his big brother's pleading gaze that it wasn't his fault only made it worse. The sight of him being forced to his knees and then being hit by the Avada Kedavra made Harry sob in despair. But Sirius and Remus told themselves that they would get Harry through this, whatever it took.

It was December now, and the weather was getting colder. Hogwarts received its first snow; it was hard to believe, but Christmas was coming. In about ten days, many students would be going home for the holidays. Harry and the Weasleys would be going to their respective houses, and Hermione would be spending the holiday with her parents.

On a snowy Tuesday morning, Harry awoke and immediately knew something was wrong. His head was pounding; it felt like someone was banging it with a hammer. He was shivering and shaking all over, and his teeth were chattering. When he tried to move, he felt pain resonate throughout his entire body.

"Oy, Harry, mate, time to get up," Dean said as the other boys awakened and dressed. "This isn't like you."

"I can't," Harry croaked weakly as he once again tried to get out of bed.

"Why not?" asked Neville. "Is everything okay? You don't sound too good."

"I'm not feeling well today," Harry admitted.

Ron parted the curtains on Harry's bed (Neville had woken him up), and he gasped at the sight of his friend. He put a hand on Harry's forehead and exclaimed, "Whoa mate, you're burning up! You should go to the hospital wing! I'll go tell Gin and Hermione, they'll know what to do."

"K," muttered Harry sleepily, burrowing down into his covers again. All he wanted to do was go back to sleep.

A few minutes later, Ron returned, with Hermione and Ginny in tow. All the boys were dressed, so they said it was fine if the girls came into their room. Hermione and Ginny tried to help Harry stand, but as soon as he did, dizziness swept over him and he fell onto the floor. He was stubborn, though, so after the third attempt, he finally managed to walk on wobbly legs, with the girls supporting him, and Ron and Neville walking alongside them.

They walked like this all the way to the hospital wing. Once they got there, they gently got him situated on a bed and called Madame Pomfrey. She bustled over, her face softening with concern as she looked at Harry. "I think I know what this is, it's been going around lately," she said quietly as not to make Harry's head hurt more.

Harry's friends wanted to stay with him, but Madame Pomfrey insisted that he needed his rest. After many protests, the four finally left his side, but not without saying, "Feel better soon, Harry," in soft, gentle voices.

Harry didn't know what had been going around lately, and he was too tired to ask. Waves of nausea were rolling over him, but the exhaustion was too much to deny. The matron gave him a few potions and then told her patient to relax. "In a few hours we'll know whether you have what I think you do," she told him.

So Harry lay down beneath the covers and let the tiredness wash over him. In less than a minute, he was asleep.

xxx

When Harry next awoke, it was to two soft voices and gentle hands being placed atop his fevered forehead. He tried to make out through the fog what the voices were saying.

"... Oh yeah. James was insufferable. He was like that on a good day, you didn't want to see him when he was sick. If Harry's anything like him ..."

A soft chuckle. "And what about you, Padfoot? This is the pot calling the kettle black. ... If I remember correctly ..."

"Shhh, I think he's waking up," said the other voice softly. Harry felt his hair being stroked, and he tried desperately to remember who and where he was. Well, he could surmise that his name was Harry. But where was he? The bright lights hurt his eyes, and he put his hands over them.

"It's all right, cub," came the second soft voice he had heard. "I know you feel awful. Padfoot and I are here to take you home."

"What ..." Harry croaked. "Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital wing at Hogwarts, pup," said Sirius quietly. "Madame Pomfrey just told us you have the wizarding flu. We're here to take you home; I'm afraid you're going to be out of commission for a while."

"The what?" croaked Harry. His headache and nausea were coming back with a vengeance.

"The wizarding flu," said Remus. "And she says you have it pretty badly, too."

"But don't worry," soothed Sirius. "Moony and I will take good care of you."

"What's ... what's the wizarding flu?" asked Harry groggily. "Hermione mentioned that she had it over the summer a few years ago, but what is it?"

"Most wizards get it once in their lifetime," answered Sirius, squeezing his godson's hand. "It's rather like the Muggle chicken pox in the way that most people only receive it once. Once you've had it, you're unlikely to get it again. I'm afraid when one usually gets it, they're sick for about ten days or so."

Harry groaned. He wasn't looking forward to spending ten days cooped up in bed feeling like this. "That long?" he asked in a small voice. Then he immediately grew worried. "I don't want you to get it!"

His guardians both chuckled. "Don't worry, we've already had it," Sirius laughed. "I had it at Christmas of my seventh year."

"And I had it just before I started teaching your third year," added Remus. "So you don't have to be concerned about us getting it."

Harry sighed with relief. "But what about schoolwork and everything else I have to do?" he asked.

"Professor Dumbledore already knows, and he'll tell the other professors," Sirius told him quietly. "Your friends know as well. They stopped by a few minutes ago to say goodbye, but you were sleeping. They promised to write to you."

"K," said Harry, not being able to think of any more arguments. He tried to get up, and Sirius and Remus put strong hands on his shoulders. As he was leaving, Madame Pomfrey came out of her office and said, "Please feel better, Harry. I'll see you next year."

It was true that in about ten days' time, the school term would end, so this meant that Harry probably wouldn't be back until the following year. He managed to smile and thank her weakly as he was led out.

"We're going to apparate with you," said Sirius as they reached the edge of the apparition boundary. "Hold on to my arm. Since you don't feel well, the sensation will be very disorienting to you, but I'm afraid it's the only way we can get you home. We know you don't like portkeys, and Floo travel wouldn't be good for you at this time."

"Okay," said Harry. The bright sunlight was really affecting his eyes. Every muscle in his body seemed to ache, and his head still felt like someone was trying to saw it off.

A few seconds later, they arrived at 804, Lawdershod Avenue. As soon as they got inside, Harry ran on pure adrenaline to the bathroom, where he proceeded to empty the contents of his stomach. He felt his hair being comfortingly stroked as he heaved and heaved.

"I'm s-sorry," he stammered when he was finally done. God, this was so embarrassing.

But the two men only laughed. "Kiddo, there's no need to be sorry," Sirius soothed as he gently wiped Harry's face. "I told you we'd take care of you."

But Harry still looked the picture of ashamed as he stared at his two loving guardians. He'd never been taken care of when he was sick before. He could remember once being sick at the Dursleys, and they'd just told him what a waste of human flesh he was. They wouldn't let him use the bathroom when he pleaded with them that he had to throw up, but then he couldn't win, because they yelled at him when he vomited all over the floor in the cupboard. That three days when he was ill was one of the worst times in his life; he could never forget lying in his pathetic little cot, shivering and shaking with fever, sobbing as his uncle snarled and hurled insults at him.

Sirius and Remus seemed to sense what Harry was thinking, and as they walked him into his room and got him comfortable in bed, they were as tender and loving as possible. Remus checked Harry's temperature, and his fever was very high. He gave him a fever-reducing potion, one which Madame Pomfrey had given him, which would hopefully try to bring it down.

"Hey, you wanna know something, kiddo?" asked Sirius, who could tell that Harry was still feeling miserable.

"What's that?" asked Harry. Sirius took one of his hands while Remus took the other.

"I remember when your father was struck down with this illness," said Sirius, and there was a smile in his voice when he said, "He was completely insufferable. Drove his parents absolutely up the wall! He got it just before I did, right before Christmas of our seventh year."

"What was I saying before, Padfoot?" Remus snorted with laughter. "James wasn't the only insufferable one. If I remember correctly, you caught it from him, and James told me you drove his parents crazy as well."

"Not me," Sirius pouted.

"Yes, you," Remus teased, punching his friend playfully on the arm.

"Fine, fine, you win," said Sirius, grinning broadly. "And guess what, Harry? Your father, the Marauder who always loved Hogwarts, didn't want to go back to school without me! See, when the new term began, I wasn't quite better yet, so I missed a few days in January while James had to carry on in my stead. I wouldn't stop infuriating his parents. As you know, that's where I lived then, with your grandparents."

"But all that aside, cub, we want you to know something. Having wizarding flu is no fun, and you have every right to drive us crazy if you want to. As a matter of fact, we ENCOURAGE you to." Remus tried desperately to get a smile out of Harry.

The boy did crack a little grin. He knew what the two men were trying to do, and he appreciated their efforts. But this was still so foreign to him.

"Let us know if you need anything, pup," said Sirius softly, kissing Harry's forehead. "You look exhausted, Moony and I will let you sleep some more. Okay?"

"Yeah," said Harry, and he couldn't help but smile through all the pain and nausea he was feeling. "Thanks," he said sincerely.

"Anything for you, cub," Remus said, tenderly brushing Harry's sweaty bangs out of his eyes. "And if you want, we'll tell you more stories about your wild father later."

Harry chuckled a little. "All right."

xxx

As Harry lay sleeping, Sirius and Remus went into the living room. "It's days like today where I just want to go and finish the Dursleys off," Sirius couldn't help growling out as they sat down on the couch.

"I know, I feel the same way," Remus admitted. "The way he was looking at us, I know he's never been taken care of like this before."

"I kind of know how Harry's feeling," Sirius went on, "because it was pretty much the same for me growing up. It wasn't until I got the wizarding flu in our seventh year that I knew what it was like to be taken care of. James's parents were really good at that."

"I know. I hope we can show Harry that we can do the same for him. It looks like he's going to be sick for a while."

"Yeah, and we'll have to be prepared for any outbursts of emotion that come up. Remember that one of the symptoms of wizarding flu is that feelings can spiral out of control."

"Yes, I know. Poor cub. He's had to deal with so much, what with Cedric's death and Voldemort's return and all that. I can't even imagine."

"It's rotten," said Sirius, gazing out the window. "But I'm glad he's had the support of his friends the last few months. I'm just so very proud of him, what with all he's doing at Hogwarts."

"Me, too. I just hope to Merlin that Umbridge doesn't ever find out what he's doing to rebel against her."

"I hate that woman," Sirius muttered. "It's a good thing Dumbledore's still Headmaster, even though I can't stand the bloody fool sometimes. If Umbridge was in charge she wouldn't have let Harry come home to us, she would have wanted him to suffer."

"I know," Remus said softly. "I know."

So as the day went by, Harry continued to sleep soundly in his room. Even though nightmares plagued him, and the nausea and headaches kept rolling over him, he knew one thing as he burrowed beneath the covers, and that one thing made him feel safe and secure.

He was loved.


	56. Attack

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

A big thank you to my reviewers! You don't know how much all your comments make my day! I can't apologize enough for neglecting this story for so long, and I am so happy to be continuing it!

Also, I received more condolences for the loss of my brother, and I just want to say thank you very much. It means a lot that people care, even if I don't know them personally.

Okay, here's the next chapter! Please don't kill me at the end, because there's a reason for everything I do!

Chapter 56: Attack

As the days passed, Sirius and Remus continued to look after Harry. Unfortunately, his case of the wizarding flu was a really bad one, and the fever didn't seem to want to go away. As more time passed both guardians grew extremely worried. This didn't happen often, but if someone with this illness was sick for long enough with no signs of recovery, they needed to be taken to St. Mungo's for further treatment. SIRIUS and Remus sincerely hoped that this didn't happen to Harry.

But during this time, Harry did have things to try to lift his spirits. Arthur Weasley had been fiddling with a Muggle tape player, and he gave it to Sirius and Remus, along with some tapes. When Harry felt up to it, he listened to them while he was lying in bed. He was often too weak to work the player himself, so Sirius and Remus did it for him; both of them were familiar with the Muggle instrument. Harry was thrilled with this, and told his guardians to thank Mr. Weasley when they got the opportunity.

True to the word of the medical texts, Harry's wizarding flu had a symptom that caused erratic spurts of emotion to shoot out of him every once in a while. Sometimes, it was a piece of music that did it to him, or sometimes it would just happen for no apparent reason. Harry would get angry or burst out in tears, and it was up to Sirius and Remus to help him through these times. Harry was often embarrassed after the fact, but the two men just chuckled and told him not to be silly. "The great Sirius Black can fix anything," Sirius would tease him gently, and he'd ruffle Harry's hair like always.

If Harry needed either man for anything, he'd use the mirror, which was on his bedside table. Sirius always made sure to have the other one on him, and this came in awfully handy. Harry was glad to have such a good way of calling his guardians if he needed them.

On the fifth day, Harry still wasn't getting any better. His fever was still high, and Sirius and Remus were getting extremely worried. They surmised that if Harry wasn't any better by the morning, they'd take him to St. Mungo's.

"I don't like this at all," Sirius said with a weary sigh at 9:00 that evening, dropping onto the couch in the living room. "Poor Harry, this is the last thing he needs. And the last thing we want is the press hounding all over him; having Harry Potter in St. Mungo's will grab their attention, I'm sure." He snorted in disgust.

"I know," Remus answered heavily. "Why does everything have to happen to him?"

"Sirius?" Harry's choked voice from the mirror in Sirius's pocket interrupted their conversation.

"I'm coming, kiddo," Sirius answered at once, and he and Remus hurried pronto up the stairs.

Harry was lying in his bed, his sweaty bangs sticking to his forehead. His emerald eyes were glazed with fever and his hands were shaking. "What do you need, kiddo?" Sirius asked gently.

"I'm just sick of this," said Harry, not being able to hide the tears in his voice. The two men immediately knew that another bout of uninhibited emotion had come on. They ran to Harry's side, and Sirius took the trembling boy into his arms. Harry buried his face in his robes, his tears soaking them and his body racked with sobs.

"Shhhhh, Harry, it's all right," Sirius soothed, and he rocked Harry tenderly back and forth.

"Cedric," Harry said sadly. "I had another nightmare about Cedric. ..."

Neither Sirius nor Remus knew what to say to comfort the boy in his time of need, so they simply stayed with him, letting him cry. The tears ran thick and fast down Harry's face, and the more his guardians stroked his hair and comforted him, the faster they came. It was like a volcano had erupted inside him, releasing any pent-up emotions from the last few months.

Eventually, his sobbing stopped, and Harry went limp in Sirius's arms. His emerald eyes were closed and his breathing was slow, deep, and even. Remus and Sirius sighed, knowing the boy was asleep and wanting to keep him that way; they desperately wanted him to have some peace. They felt such fatherly affection for their adopted son, and wanted no more harm to come to him. They just wished they could keep him safe in their little cocoon of love.

Harry moaned in his sleep, trying to get himself into a more comfortable position. Remus checked Harry's temperature and said grimly, "It's not looking good. He's got a raging fever. One of us needs to contact Albus, to forewarn him that a trip to St. Mungo's may be in order. I'll do it."

Sirius continued to gently rock his sleeping and sweating godson as Remus made the necessary floo call to Dumbledore. Moments later he returned and said, "Albus is aware of the situation. We'll contact him again in the morning and let him know the outcome."

"Cedric," Harry breathed in agony. "No, Voldemort, please, I'm begging you ... he didn't do anything! Leave him alone!" The pain in his voice was unbearable. "No, Voldemort, please!"

He went quiet then, and something in his face changed. As Sirius and Remus watched in alarm, he began to twist in the former's arms, letting out the most heartrending screams. They tried to wake him, but it was to no avail. They grew more alarmed as they shook him and shook him, trying to rouse him from whatever horrendous nightmare he was currently suffering.

Suddenly, Harry bolted straight up. He turned white as a sheet, and threw up all over himself.

"Harry!" Sirius cried frantically. "Harry, pup, what's wrong?"

"Mr. ... Weasley," Harry panted. "Snake ... Voldemort ... Mr. Weasley!"

A horrible feeling of dread swept over the two men. "Slow down, cub," Remus tried to keep his voice soft, soothing, and gentle. Sirius lifted his wand, performing a cleaning charm on Harry to remove the sick. "What about Arthur Weasley?"

Harry took several deep breaths, but his heart was racing a mile a minute. "Voldemort's snake ... attacked Mr. Weasley!" he burst out. "Someone ... needs ... to help him!"

"Oh, Merlin!" Sirius exclaimed in horror. "How do you know?"

"I saw it!" Harry cried chaotically. "I ... I was the snake! I saw it through his eyes! Someone needs to help him!"

"I'll contact Albus at once," Remus said, immediately going into logical problem-solving mode. "Arthur did have guard duty tonight. Sirius, you get Harry ready. We're taking him to St. Mungo's right now."

For that was the decision that was made immediately as Remus studied Harry's pallor. It was no use waiting till morning; Harry needed treatment at the wizarding hospital, because he was not getting better on his own.

Harry breathed sharply. "Never mind me, we need to take care of Mr. Weasley!" he hollered, trying to get out of bed.

"Pup, Remus is taking care of it. Mr. Weasley will be fine," Sirius tried to assure the sweating and shaking boy. "We need to get you to hospital, you're not well. Oh Merlin, your scar is bleeding!" he exclaimed as his eyes landed on the red lightning-bolt scar that was on Harry's forehead. He immediately got up, went to the bathroom, and retrieved the wet washcloth he and Remus had used so often over the past few days to wipe Harry's flushed face.

"Oh God," Harry moaned, covering his aching eyes with his hands as Sirius gently wiped the blood that was dripping into Harry's eyes. "I've killed Mr. Weasley ... I've killed him!"

"Harry, listen to me," Sirius said, his stomach knotting. Harry didn't need to deal with this on top of everything else! "We don't even know if the vision you had was true. And if it was, Mr. Weasley may be able to be saved. And you didn't leave your bed, kiddo. If it was anything that hurt Mr. Weasley, it was Voldemort's snake."

"But Mr. Weasley was only at the Ministry because of me!" Harry cried, tears filling his green eyes. "First Cedric and now him! Who will be next?" His shoulders began to shake in earnest as Sirius began to pack a bag, preparing for the trip to St. Mungo's. As soon as that was done, Sirius sat on the bed beside Harry, once again taking him into his arms and letting the boy sob against him. "You don't understand!" he wailed. "It was horrible ... I WANTED to attack him! I'm a horrible, horrible person!"

"No, you're not," Sirius whispered, heartbroken. "Those feelings you felt, they were all Voldemort. Everything you experienced was from Voldemort's mind, kiddo, not yours."

It was true that Harry had been continuing to work on Occlumency, but when the immune system and the body were weak like this, the mind was, too. His shields were vulnerable right now, so whatever progress he had made was a moot point. Everything always had to happen at the worst times.

Remus then came hurrying back into the room. "Albus is handling everything," he said softly. "He just informed me that Arthur Weasley has been found severely injured. He's being taken to St. Mungo's as we speak. The Weasley children will be informed, and they'll be taken to Grimmauld Place for safety. Molly will also go to St. Mungo's."

Sirius nodded while Harry shook harder. "Oh Merlin, it was real. Is he dead?" he asked shakily.

"He's alive, cub," Remus said tenderly. "And the hospital will do all they can to take care of him. We have to leave it in their hands now. Now we have to think about getting you well."

Sirius lifted Harry up into his arms and covered him with a blanket. He was as hot as anything and was still shaking violently. He and Remus walked downstairs and out the front door, crossing to the boundary and apparating to the wizarding hospital.

Once they made it there, they checked in at the reception area. They then were quickly transferred to the Wizarding Illnesses floor very efficiently. The appearance of Harry's two concerned guardians, and the way they glared at anyone who tried to ask a lot of questions concerning Harry's celebrity status, kept people away. Sirius and Remus had to admit that they were very impressed with the speedy way things were done here. The healers were extremely kind to Harry and handled him with great care. He was put gently in a bed, and was given a fever-reducing potion along with others that would try to help him get well again.

Sirius and Remus pulled up two chairs and sat by Harry's bed, taking one of his hands in one of their own. They vowed not to leave his side, and told themselves that whatever happened with Arthur Weasley, they'd help Harry through it. But they prayed with every fiber of their being that the patriarch of the Weasley family would be all right.

The two men had always been fond of the Weasleys. They had both known Bill when he was much younger, when he'd told them about his prankster brothers Fred and George. They could remember very well when James had told him about the Marauders' Map being located in Filch's office. "Tell your brothers to find it sometime," the hazel-eyed man had said with a mischievous grin on his face.

Thinking of James, though, unfortunately led to thoughts of the First War. It was beginning to start again. The first casualty of the Second War had been Cedric Diggory, and there would be many more; the two men just knew it. They always tried to put on a show of bravado in front of Harry, but they couldn't help but admit now, as Harry lay sleeping soundly, that they were afraid as hell. How were they going to keep everyone in their circle intact, especially Harry? It was Harry's job to defeat Voldemort, and they couldn't bear that. The boy was only fifteen years old! How could he possibly go up against the darkest wizard of the age and win? The thought was preposterous. It wasn't that they doubted Harry was a powerful wizard, but they knew what Lord Voldemort possessed. After all, they had lost pretty much all of their friends during the First War, and their friends had been powerful witches and wizards.

Sirius and Remus's thoughts were interrupted as Albus Dumbledore somberly walked into the room, a sad expression on his face as he glanced at Harry. "How is the dear boy?" he asked quietly.

"He's sleeping," said Sirius at once. "Albus, what happened? Did Voldemort possess Harry?"

"I do not think he actually possessed him, no," Dumbledore answered. "I think what happened is that somehow, Voldemort's actions tonight were seen by Harry. Because his mind is vulnerable right now, Harry may have been able to slip into Voldemort's mind. The connection they have is very unique. When Voldemort tried to kill him all those years ago, it was forged."

"What can we do about this?" Remus asked urgently. "Harry says he was the snake who attacked Mr. Weasley. How on Earth can we explain to him that he wasn't the one who attacked him?"

"We are relying here on Harry's strength of character," replied Dumbledore softly. "You have already told me that you are making progress in convincing him that he is not to blame for Cedric Diggory's death. He shares a special bond with you two, and I think he knows you will always be there for him."

"But it's not fair," Sirius said desperately. "He's only fifteen! He shouldn't have to deal with this!"

"I know, Sirius, I know," Dumbledore said heavily. "It is not fair at all."

"How is Arthur, anyway, Albus?" asked Remus.

Dumbledore's expression grew solemn. "I am afraid he is seriously injured," he answered. "The snake venom is really affecting him. Fortunately, he is not in any pain, because he is unconscious. The children have been informed and are currently at Grimmauld Place for protection; Kingsley Shacklebolt is with them. Molly is by Arthur's side as we speak."

"Will he survive?" asked Sirius.

Dumbledore sighed. "I don't know," he admitted. "I just don't know."

The three men looked at each other, and all of them knew that it would be a long road ahead.

xxx

Harry continued to sleep for a few more hours. Healers came in every few minutes to check on him. Sirius and Remus were also vigilant, watching over their boy. Their hearts twisted as they heard Harry moan Cedric's and Mr. Weasley's names over and over again, tossing and turning in his fever-induced sleep.

Once, when one of the Healers checked Harry's temperature, Sirius asked, "How long do you think he'll be here, in St. Mungo's?"

"I cannot say for sure," the healer, who said her name was Marianne, answered. "I haven't seen a case of wizarding flu this bad in a long time. Usually, witches and wizards are able to fight it off on their own, but Mr. Potter's case is different. I assure you that we will do everything we can to keep the press away. We do not need them interrupting Harry's recovery. I'm afraid I can't give you a definite amount of time he will be here, I can only say it'll be as long as it takes for him to get better." She squeezed Harry's hand and smiled at him as she left.

"I hope for his sake that he's not still here for Christmas, but it looks like it'll be that way," Sirius said with a sigh. "Our poor pup. Merry Christmas, huh?" he added sarcastically.

"It is miserable for him," said Remus. "Luckily, the next full moon's not till next month. If it was coming up, the hospital wouldn't want me with Harry for the entire 24 hours before it. You know that's how the werewolf laws are when it comes to being with children in facilities like this."

"Yeah, they are ridiculous," growled Sirius. "And Dolores Umbridge has a lot to do with them."

"How Harry's able to deal with that woman without losing his temper, I don't know," Remus said, stroking Harry's hair. "He's different from James that way. James would have yelled at her until he was hoarse with it."

"I know," Sirius replied. "That he would."

At that moment, Harry opened his eyes. They were still glazed with fever, but they looked at Sirius and Remus and immediately filled with concern. "How's Mr. Weasley?" he asked at once, yawning.

"Not well, pup," Sirius had to respond gently, guilt tugging at his heart as he did so. "But the hospital's trying to help him. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Please," Harry said barely audibly. "Please let him be fine. I couldn't bear it if he wasn't, and another death was my fault."

Footsteps could then be heard coming down the hall, and Dumbledore walked into the room again. He shared a look with Sirius and Remus, and a cold feeling gripped both of them. Harry didn't see the look, but a feeling in his gut told him that something was terribly, terribly wrong.

"Merlin," breathed Sirius, staring into Dumbledore's blue eyes, which were not twinkling. "You're joking."

Dumbledore sadly shook his head, indicating that no, he was not joking.

Sirius took one of Harry's hands while Remus took the other, and they both looked into Harry's emerald eyes. The look had a mixture of feelings in it: pain, guilt, love, tenderness, and heartache.

"No..." Harry said weakly, ice freezing every vein of his body. The truth, oh, God, the truth...''it settled upon him like a ton of bricks. There was no hiding it. No denying it. No escaping it.

Arthur Weasley had died.


	57. Guardian Angels

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Author's note: As a special treat, I am giving you two chapters in one day. Don't expect this from me normally though, it's just that I've neglected this story for over a year and am very excited to be writing it again. I also couldn't wait to post this chapter, because it's one of the more emotional ones I've written, and it's not all sad either. Read on and you'll see!

Thanks to everyone for the reviews, I know that me killing Mr. Weasley was a huge surprise! I did it because in the initial version of Order of the Phoenix, JKR was going to kill him; she said this in an interview. I wanted to explore how everyone would react to Arthur's death, and how the Weasleys would pull together. I realize by doing this, I may have people who are really disappointed, but I do hope that if you continue to read, you still enjoy the story nevertheless.

And thanks again for thinking of me and my brother. I do also hope that somewhere up there, he is happy that I am continuing this in his memory.

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 57: Guardian Angels

Harry's whole body had gone numb. No. No. No. No. No. Mr. Weasley could not be dead. The man who was so full of life, bursting with questions about Muggles, fiddling with equipment, and loving his children could not be gone. But the looks on Sirius and Remus's faces confirmed that that was indeed true.

"Oh God," he breathed as he stared at them. "H-how?"

"The snake venom," said Dumbledore quietly. "The poison had entered his system. The Healers tried everything they could, but it had already reached a stage where nothing could be done."

"Do the children know?" asked Sirius shakily.

"They are being informed by Molly now," answered Dumbledore sadly. "Molly was by his side when he died."

"It's my fault," Harry mumbled miserably, burying his face in the pillow. That was the only thought on his mind now. "The Weasleys will never speak to me again."

Sirius and Remus put their arms around Harry, trying to give him comfort. "Harry, it wasn't your fault," Sirius tried to plead with the boy. "Everything that happened was Voldemort's doing. You saw it, yes, but you didn't cause it."

"That's not true!" Harry cried, trying to push the comfort away. "You know very well what Mr. Weasley was protecting!"

"Arthur Weasley loved you like a son, Harry," said Dumbledore. "You know that he would be happy that he's given his life for you. The last thing he'd want you to do is to blame yourself for this."

"And of course the Weasleys will talk to you again," said Remus. "They're not going to abandon you."

"But I killed him!" cried Harry, tears beginning to stream down his face unchecked. "Don't you understand? When I was the snake, I WANTED to attack him, I WANTED to bite him ..."

"But that was Voldemort, Harry," said Sirius. "Those were Voldemort's emotions you were feeling, not your own. And this is exactly what Voldemort wants; he wants you to blame yourself and to push us all away. Please, kiddo, don't do what he wants."

"First Cedric and now Mr. Weasley," sobbed Harry, seeming to ignore what Sirius had just said. He buried his face in his godfather's robes, and his shoulders shook as hysterical sobs seized him. Dumbledore looked on with a sad face as Harry's two guardians tried their best to console the grieving child.

Harry's crying seemed to continue for an age. "This isn't fair," Sirius muttered angrily to Dumbledore. "Harry's already had to deal with so much, this just isn't right! And this won't help in his recovery either."

Dumbledore remained quiet, knowing that this was true. This would only make his wizarding flu worse.

And by Merlin, were they right. When Harry's tears finally stopped, he lay limply in Sirius and Remus's arms, not moving. He was still breathing, but there was something about it that scared them. Sirius, gripping his hair in panic, screamed at Dumbledore, "Something's wrong! Get the Healer!"

Dumbledore moved faster than an old man should, and moments later, the Healer entered the room. She ran her wand over Harry, checking his vital signs. Her face grew grim as she faced his frightened-looking guardians and Dumbledore.

"Harry's gone into a coma," she said quietly. "He's in shock, and the fever's become so high that it's become too much for his body to fight it."

"Merlin," Sirius breathed, collapsing into one of the chairs by Harry's bed. "Merlin, no! You've got to be kidding!" The Healer shook her head.

"What does this mean?" croaked Remus. "Will Harry ... will he ..."

"We'll do everything we can for him, but I'm warning you, it's not looking good," said the Healer. "I haven't seen a case of wizarding flu like this since 1945, when I started working here." She and Dumbledore exchanged a meaningful glance.

"Oh God, please, no," Sirius moaned, burying his face in his hands. Remus, the calmer of the two but still terrified, laid a hand on the black-haired man's shoulder.

"Harry has to get through this," he said, trying to reassure himself and Sirius. "He's strong. He has to make it."

The Healer left the room, then returned with many bottles of potions. She slipped an needle in Harry's arm, and fed him the potions that way. _ then_ she left again, leaving Sirius, Remus, and Dumbledore to agonize over the boy who was dying right in front of their eyes.

"Harry, please, pup, you have to make it," Sirius cried, taking one of Harry's hands within his own. "I can't lose you now, I love you so much. I can't lose you now!"

"Please, hang on, cub," said Remus, taking Harry's other hand. The boy's slow heartbeat and labored breathing scared him more than he would ever admit to anyone. "We all love you, you have to hang on."

Dumbledore looked at the boy, the boy he had failed in so many ways. He wasn't sure what to say. All he could muster was a "Hold on, Harry." as he looked at his closed eyes. "We'll all be here for you when you wake up. Please, hold on."

xxx

Harry was walking through a tunnel. He wasn't sure how he had gotten in here. As he walked, he was struck with an inexplicable feeling that he had to keep going, he couldn't stop. This place was very unfamiliar, and he had no clue where he was, but all he knew was that he absolutely had to keep going.

As he walked, memories began to flood back to him. He remembered the Dursleys, Hogwarts, his friends, discovering Sirius was innocent, the Triwizard Tournament and the horrible events of the third task, Umbridge, and finally, the snakebite and Mr. Weasley.

Unbelievable sadness and guilt squeezed his heart as he remembered all these things. But what was he doing in this tunnel? His very last memory was sobbing in Sirius and Remus's arms, and then, he'd felt extremely lightheaded and strange. His eyes had closed, and now, he was here.

He walked for what seemed like forever. Part of him wanted to turn back, but again, that inexplicable feeling told him to keep walking in a straight line.

Then, suddenly, something changed. Ahead of him, he could see that the tunnel ended. He saw a clearing, with a grassy field and many different kinds of flowers. The air was cool, and the smell was wonderful. As he entered it, he wondered what else he would find there. He figured he'd explore the area for a while.

But after about only thirty seconds of exploration, he saw a figure running towards him, beaming at him. And as he got a good look at the figure, emotions hit him from all sides. The figure walked the last few steps that it took to get to him, and then Harry was being hugged, squeezed tightly, and tears were entering the boy's eyes again as he croaked out, "Cedric?"

"Hey, Harry," Cedric Diggory said, ruffling the boy's hair gently as he drew away from the embrace. "Yeah, it's me."

"Am I ... am I d-dead?" Harry stuttered, looking at every inch of Cedric that he could. His gray eyes held a loving and kind expression, and he was smiling softly at Harry. His hand was laying upon the younger boy's shoulder, and he looked alive and whole, the same as he had before the horrible events of June 24. He was dressed in immaculate dress robes, and his good looks were still evident.

"No, you're not," Cedric replied softly. "But you're pretty close. You're, shall we say, hovering between life and death."

"Wh-what happened?" asked Harry, still finding it hard to believe that his friend was standing right in front of him. His friend, who he'd watched die.

"You went into shock," Cedric answered quietly. "And your fever rose dramatically. Your body was too weak to take it all, so you ended up here. But you need to understand something, Harry," he added gently. "It's not your time yet. You need to go back."

Harry looked at the grassy field, the beautiful flowers, and then Cedric again. "I know," he sighed. "I know I can't stay here. But Cedric ... Merlin ... I'm so sorry."

Cedric drew Harry into another firm embrace. "You have nothing to be sorry for, little brother," he whispered in Harry's ear. "I told you that I'd protect you, and that's what I ended up doing. I was happy to do it for you, and embarrassing Voldemort on top of it was a bonus."

"You-you said his name," Harry stammered.

Cedric laughed quietly. "Of course I did," he said. "Dumbledore was right. We shouldn't fear the name of someone who's so weak that he's going to be destroyed in the end."

"But h-how do you know?" asked Harry. "I d-don't feel strong enough ... I can't destroy him, I'm only fifteen ..."

Cedric put a finger to Harry's lips to stop him from talking. "You can do it, Harry. I believe in you," he said sincerely. "The task may seem daunting now, but I know you can do it. I'm already so proud of how far you've come since last year. I've been watching you, Harry, and I couldn't be happier with how you've handled things. But you need to stop blaming yourself for what happened to me; it wasn't your fault."

"Are you s-sure?" Harry asked, a small sob escaping him.

Cedric let him bury his face in his immaculate robes. "Of course I'm sure," he whispered tenderly, stroking Harry's hair. "Now, before you go back, there are a few more people who want to see you."

He drew back, and Harry looked across the field, where another figure was making its way toward the pair. As it came closer, Harry knew who it was. He almost collapsed to the ground, but Cedric held him up. "It's all right, he doesn't blame you one little bit," the older boy reassured him as Arthur Weasley made his entrance.

"Hello, Harry," the man said, smiling softly at him. "And hello, Cedric. Nice place, isn't it?"

"Mr. ... Weasley?" Harry choked out. "Is that really you?"

"In the flesh," Mr. Weasley answered, going over to him and wrapping him in a fatherly hug. "Good to see you, Harry."

Tears streamed down Harry's face as he said, "Mr. Weasley, I-I didn't mean to get you killed!"

"Now, listen to me," Mr. Weasley said, and there was absolute seriousness in his voice. "You didn't get me killed. It was the snake that did."

"But I was ... I WAS the snake!" Harry protested feebly.

"Sirius and Remus are right," Arthur told him. "The feelings you felt came from You-Know- ... oh, all right ... Voldemort. Not you. And Dumbledore is right also, I love you like a son. When you came into our lives, you blessed the Weasley family with your sincerity and kindness. I couldn't be happier than to know that I gave my life protecting you."

This was too much for Harry to take, and he held on to Mr. Weasley as more sobs shook his body.

"It's all right, Harry, everything will be all right," the man soothed.

"But Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, R-Ron, Fred, George ... t-they'll hate me when they find out why you died," Harry choked out.

"Harry, look at me." Arthur lifted his chin so he could look into Harry's tear-filled emerald eyes. "I don't ever want to hear you say that again. My family will not hate you. Their love for you is unconditional. Of course, they'll miss me, but they're a strong bunch of people. We've always thought ourselves capable of handling anything, and they can bear even this. They'll need you now more than ever, Harry. They'll be there for you, I know they will. My family loves you because you're a part of them. The best thing that could have possibly happened to me was that my Ron stumbled upon you on the train your first year."

Harry, overwhelmed with emotion, saw nothing but truth in Mr. Weasley's eyes. "Really?"

"Really," the man answered. "But I'd like you to do one thing for me, and that is, make sure you look after them. Promise me you will."

"I promise," Harry answered, meaning it with all his heart.

"Good," said Mr. Weasley, squeezing his hand.

"Is it time for me to go back now?" Harry asked slowly.

"Not until you've seen the two people who want to see you the most," said Arthur.

More tears raced down Harry's cheeks, because he somehow knew what was coming next. Cedric and Mr. Weasley stayed close by Harry as he looked across the field one more time. Two more figures were running towards him, faster than he'd seen anyone ever run before.

And then, two sets of arms were around him, and one of the people was crying, her tears soaking into Harry's robes. The Boy-Who-Lived was being hugged by his parents.

"Oh, sweetheart," Lily said in between soft sobs. "Oh, Harry, my boy."

"Harry, son," James said, clapping Harry on the shoulder as he and Lily stepped a pace back. "How goes it?"

"Mum? Dad?" Harry gasped, getting a good look at them. The last time he'd seen them was when their ghosts had come out of Voldemort's wand.

"It's us," Lily said gently. "Harry, we just want you to know how much we love you. And Cedric couldn't be more right about how proud we all are of you."

"Yeah, you're a Marauder after my own heart," beamed James. "But seriously, Harry, the fact that you are my son makes me the happiest man ever. You've been so brave through everything that's been thrown at you."

"Don't ever give up," Lily whispered, looking her son up and down, as if memorizing every part of him. Her emerald eyes were just like Harry's, and they shone with tears. "And don't ever listen to anything Voldemort says, all right?"

"I ... I ..." Harry was at a loss for words.

Lily and James hugged him again, rubbing soothing circles on his back. "It's time for you to go back now," James said, "but we were desperate to see you before you left."

"And don't ever blame yourself for anything Voldemort does," Lily pleaded with him. "As we told you at the end of last year, we love you so very, very much. We're always watching over you."

"You mean ... that was really you ... last year?" Harry asked quietly. "You helped me?"

"We wanted you to survive," Cedric told him earnestly.

"Thank you," Harry said through his tears. "Thank you so much."

"You don't need to thank us," James said. "We weren't going to let Voldemort kill you. We want you here, Harry, with us, but we know you belong on Earth for now."

"Your godfather and Remus need you," Mr. Weasley declared. "They haven't left your side once since the Healers said you'd gone into the coma. It's time you went back and assured them you're okay."

"Harry, my son, take care of ol' Padfoot and ol' Moony for me," James said, ruffling his son's messy hair. "And give ol' Umbitch the one-two."

"James!" Lily chastised warningly, but her emerald eyes sparkled with laughter.

James grinned. "Oh, fine, fine. But make sure she gets what's coming to her," he told him.

"Harry," Cedric said, "you've been doing a wonderful job taking care of Cho. Please continue to do that for me, and tell her I still love her very much."

"I will," Harry promised tearfully.

Lily kissed him tenderly on the forehead. "And I'm so sorry you ever had to go to Petunia," she said softly. "That wasn't meant to happen."

"It's not your fault," Harry told her, meaning every word of it. He gave his parents, Cedric, and Mr. Weasley a shaky smile. "What do I do to go back?" he asked.

"Just lay down here on the grass with us," said Lily, and Harry complied. She and James wrapped him up in their arms. "Never forget that we love you," she whispered. "In a few seconds you'll start to feel sleepy. Let the feeling take you over. Once you're asleep, you'll go back to the living world. We'll hold you until then."

"Okay." Harry agreed softly. Sure enough, a feeling of exhaustion was starting to come over him.

Cedric patted his shoulder gently. "Stay strong, Harry," he said. "Take care of yourself."

"We'll always be here for you. Just look for us in your heart," Lily said, putting her hand over her own to emphasize the point.

"Take care of my family for me, Harry. I'll see you soon," Mr. Weasley said.

"Love you, son," James said, and that was the last thing Harry heard as he drifted off into a peaceful sleep, comforted by the presence of his big brother, Mr. Weasley, and his parents.

As Harry's breathing grew deep and even, he began to shrink in James and Lily's arms. Lily began to sob with both joy and heartache as she knew her son was leaving her, but at the same time, going back to his world. As he melted into thin air, James held her tightly. "He'll be okay, Lil," he whispered. "He's got Padfoot and Moony and his friends. They'll look after him for us." He gently wiped tears from his wife's eyes.

"I know," Lily said softly. "It's just hard, you know? It's hard not being able to be there for him."

"It is," James agreed. "But I know he'll make it." He and Lily got up off the grass, and James ruffled Cedric's hair. "You okay, Ced?" he asked.

"I am," Cedric smiled. "And I'm glad Harry will be, too."

"Me, too, son. Me, too." Arthur said sincerely. The four shared a smile as they thought of how they'd continue to watch over their beloved Harry.

They were his guardian angels.


	58. Recovery

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Wow, thanks for such positive feedback for the last chapter! I'm glad you all were so happy with it, and were touched by Harry's reunion with departed loved ones. I want to put a lot of emotion into this story, so I'm glad it's working!

And I can't express to you how much it means to have the fanfic community, people I don't know, care so much about me and my family. I received even more condolences in the reviews of last chapter. I've said it once and I'll say it again, thank you so much. I hope my brother is proud of me too. I want to live like he did; he was a magnificent person and even though he battled with a disease, he was positive right up until the end. He was even joking with nurses and doctors the last week of his life, and if that's not someone with a strong spirit, I don't know what is.

Okay, please enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 58: Recovery

Fog enshrouded Harry's mind, but through it, he thought he could hear soft voices. They were calling to him, three voices which were soothing and tender, and they were repeating one word.

"Harry."

The fog started to lift, and slowly, Harry opened his eyes. He now knew that he was lying in a soft bed, and there were three blurry figures standing by it. As Harry looked around, he was gently handed his glasses by one of them. Gratefully, he put them on, and realized it was Sirius, Remus, and Dumbledore standing by his bedside.

"Thank Merlin," Sirius breathed as he squeezed Harry's hand tightly. "Thank Merlin. You're awake."

"Wh-what happened?" Harry croaked. "What do you mean, thank Merlin?"

"We almost lost you, kiddo," Sirius said, his voice hoarse and choked with emotion. "The Healers told us you almost slipped away."

"You went into shock and then you went into a coma," Remus added at Harry's look.

For some reason, these words struck Harry as words he'd already heard, and slowly, very, very slowly, memories came back to him. Had it all been a dream, or had it actually happened? He couldn't remember the whole thing, but small details began to sift through his mind.

"Harry, my boy, I'm so glad to see you're awake," Dumbledore told Harry sincerely. "You had us really worried there."

"How long was I ... in a coma?" Harry asked.

"Almost an entire day," Remus informed him. "The Healers put so many potions into you that I can't even name them all. Thank Merlin you're all right."

Harry just looked at his guardians and Dumbledore, finding it hard to process how close he'd come to death. "Something weird happened," he told them quietly. "I think ... I think I saw Cedric, Mr. Weasley, Mum, and Dad. It might have been a dream, but ..."

Raw emotion filled Sirius and Remus's faces. "You saw Lily and James?" Sirius choked out.

"Yeah," Harry replied, still finding it difficult to take in the fact that he'd been held in his parents' arms.

"How are they?" Remus asked softly, trying to keep his composure.

"They're fine, they told me to look after you," Harry said slowly.

"Oh, Merlin," Sirius said over and over again. "Lily and James. Oh Merlin."

Harry looked at Dumbledore, having a feeling that the wise old wizard may know what had happened. "Do you think it was just a dream, Professor?" he asked.

"I do not think so, my boy," said Dumbledore quietly. "In 1945, I was treated here for the wizarding flu, just like you. It was right after my defeat of Grindelwald, and I was feeling a mixture of all kinds of emotions at that time. When I became ill, this did not help in my recovery, and I went into a coma, just like you did. I also came close to death, and I had a similar experience as you. I still remember to this day seeing departed loved ones and talking to them."

"Really?" asked Harry, hope blossoming in him that he wasn't going insane.

"Really," Dumbledore replied. "I have always believed, Harry, that there is something for us after death, something that will reunite us with loved ones we have lost. Even before my experience in 1945, I believed it."

Remus embraced Sirius, who had tears in his eyes. He was finding it hard to keep his own tears at bay. "Did Lily chastise James for anything he said or did?" he asked, trying to smile.

Harry wracked his brains, thinking. He thought he remembered something like that occurring. "I think so," he answered.

"Same old Prongs," Sirius choked out through his tears. "And same old Lily. Merlin, I miss them so much."

"We all do, my boy," Dumbledore said softly. "We all do."

"Kiddo," said Sirius, looking at Harry with heartache. "Please, don't ever scare us like that again, okay? We were terrified that you wouldn't make it."

"I'm sorry," Harry said, truly meaning it. He hated putting his guardians through turmoil because of him.

"Don't be sorry," Sirius said, guilt crashing over him that he'd made Harry feel bad. "I know it wasn't your fault."

"What did Arthur Weasley say, Harry?" Remus asked gently.

Now it was Harry who was trying to hide his sadness. He wracked his brains again, trying to remember every last detail. "He said he doesn't blame me," he replied. "But it's hard, you know?"

"I know it is, cub," Remus answered, stroking Harry's hand lovingly. "But if Arthur said it himself, you should definitely believe it."

"I know," Harry whispered. "It'll take time, but I'll try."

xxx

Over the next few days, Harry's recovery progressed well. The Healers were shocked at how fast he was getting better, and Sirius and Remus stayed by his side the entire time. Marianne, the Healer who checked on Harry the most, told them that if he kept improving at this rate, he may be allowed out of St. Mungo's a few days after Christmas.

Harry also got word that Arthur Weasley's funeral would be a few days after Christmas as well. As much as Harry found it hard to believe that the Weasleys would want to see his face, he knew he owed it to them to go. He sincerely hoped he was completely well by the time the date arrived.

On Christmas morning, Sirius and Remus showered him with presents. They tried to keep the mood light and make jokes; they knew how miserable it was to spend Christmas in a hospital. They did their best to keep Harry's spirits up, and he tried to be happy for their sake. He tried with a fierce determination to remember everything about his meeting with his parents, Cedric, and Mr. Weasley, but some of the memories slipped through his fingers like grains of sand. Dumbledore offered the theory that whoever controlled the afterlife might not want him to remember everything, because if every single secret about it was spilled, death wouldn't be such a mysterious phenomenon. But Harry was happy at the fact that his guardians and the Headmaster believed his story. He grew closer to Dumbledore, knowing that the man had been in a similar situation. Any residual anger he had towards the man for not telling him the prophecy sooner grew much less prevalent.

Harry was thrilled with all his presents, but his heart was with the Weasleys. He knew this would be a very hard and heartrending Christmas for them all. He thought of Mrs. Weasley and her constant sweaters she always gave out, of Fred and George and their humor, of Ron, of Charlie and Bill, of Percy, and of Ginny. He wondered if Percy would return to the family now that this tragedy had occurred.

That afternoon after lunch, Marianne walked into Harry's room and said, "Harry, you have visitors. Would you like to see them?"

By this point, Harry's fever had almost broken, and he was sitting up in bed, reading another book of pranks his guardians had gotten him for Christmas. This one had even more pranks in it than the one he'd received for his 14th birthday about a year and a half ago.

"Who are they?" asked Harry, a mixture of hope and dread filling his stomach.

"The Weasley family, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, and Cho Chang," Marianne answered with a fond smile. "My, my, you bring quite the crowd."

Sirius and Remus squeezed Harry's hands comfortingly, letting him know that everything would be fine if he accepted the visitors. All three of them exchanged looks, and Harry finally nodded. Marianne left the room, and after about a minute, a group of people walked in.

"Harry!" a tearful voice exclaimed, and then, he was being embraced by a sobbing Mrs. Weasley. "Harry, sweetheart, thank God you're alright! You gave us such a scare, dear, we heard all about how ill you were."

"Hey, mate," said Ron, who had dark circles under his blue eyes. He looked like he'd been through the mill, but he pounded Harry on the back all the same.

A serious and subdued Fred and George came next, and this was a very difficult sight for Harry to see. But they tried to smile at him reassuringly as they gave him a squeeze.

Next came Bill, followed by Charlie, who had obviously come home from Romania. They smiled at Harry as they patted his shoulders. He looked for Percy in the crowd, but he wasn't there. Harry again wondered whether he would return to the family.

Pain tore through Harry's heart as Ginny hugged him; she was the final Weasley to throw her arms around him. She was crying softly, and she looked heartbroken. Harry knew how close Ginny was to her father; this must be devastating for her. He hugged her back, and Ginny clung to him, unable to let go.

Neville, Hermione, and Cho then hugged him, and afterwards, the group all gathered by Harry's bed, talking quietly to him.

"We're so glad you pulled through, mate," said Fred sincerely.

"Yeah, what would we do without you?" said George.

"I didn't want to lose you too," Ginny choked, resting her head on Harry's shoulder.

"We're so sorry that you were ill like this, dear," said Mrs. Weasley, her eyes still full of tears. "You almost died! Thank Merlin for the Healers efficiency."

Harry smiled softly at all his friends and supporters. "I'm glad to be alive," he said honestly. "But I just want to let you know how sorry I am about Mr. Weasley."

"Honey, it wasn't your fault," Mrs. Weasley said, bursting into another bout of fresh tears. She threw her arms around Harry's neck again. "You tried to save his life, and I can't thank you enough for that. It shows what a kind-hearted and special young man you are."

"Mate, we know what Dad was guarding had something to do with you, and we know you know this, too. But Harry," Ginny said, looking right in the boy's emerald eyes, "We do not blame you. Dad chose to do it, it wasn't like he was made to. And he'd hurt us if we ever thought of blaming you."

Harry, overwhelmed, whispered, "Thank you," as he hugged Mrs. Weasley back. He almost couldn't believe what he was seeing; the Weasleys still wanted to remain by his side, even though they'd already paid a high price for associating with him.

Even though they weren't blaming him, Harry could still sense the misery pouring off of his favorite family. He didn't know whether they'd believe him, but he decided to tell them about his strange near-death experience; this would maybe give them comfort. Slowly, he told them of what he had seen when he was in the coma.

This set Molly Weasley into more sobs, but now she was also smiling. "You really saw him?" she said, hope shining in her eyes.

"And you ... you saw Cedric?" Cho's eyes were also shining with tears. "Is he all right?"

"They were all fine," Harry said, remembering how healthy and whole they'd all looked. "Mr. Weasley said he'd miss you all."

Ginny let out a heartbroken sob, and Ron's expression was stony. It was plain to see that he was trying his best to hide his emotions.

"Of course we believe you, darling," Mrs. Weasley said lovingly. "And we want you to know that we will never abandon you, Harry. You're a wonderful young man with a big heart. Arthur died protecting you, dear, and I know it was an honor for him to do so."

"Thank you," Harry said, his own tears stinging his eyes. "I'll never leave you guys, either. You've been my friends through everything, thank you all so much."

"Don't mention it, buddy," said Fred.

"Yeah, man," said George.

The group stayed for a little while, trying to talk about more lighthearted business. Harry could tell it was a big strain on the Weasleys, but they tried hard so as not to make Harry depressed. They opened presents from each other, and Harry relished their friendship with everything he had.

After a while, Sirius, Remus, and Molly went to the hospital tearoom for a drink and a bite to eat, but the children opted to stay with Harry. Once the adults had left, Hermione put a Silencing Charm up around the room.

"We have news to catch you up on, Harry," she declared. "While you were away, Hagrid came back."

Harry smiled genuinely. "Really?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Ron. "But he looked bloody awful. His face was unrecognizable."

"his face did look terrible," Hermione agreed. "At first, he wouldn't tell us what happened."

"We finally got him to admit that he was doing some mission for Dumbledore to get the giants on our side," said Ron.

"Really?" asked Harry. "So that's what he was doing all this time?"

"Apparently," replied Cho. "And that Umbridge woman ... Merlin, she's completely awful."

"Yeah," said Fred, balling his hands into fists. Beside him, George did the same.

"Why, what did she do now?" Harry wondered.

"Totally made fun of Hagrid in our Care of Magical Creatures class," said Neville, anger lacing his tone. "Poor Hagrid was completely flustered, he only made the situation worse."

"Oh, no," Harry groaned. "So what now?"

"I don't know," said Hermione miserably. "He won't listen to me, though. We studied thestrals in class, and the day after, I kept telling him to teach us something less advanced so Umbridge wouldn't get any satisfaction from picking on him."

"But Hagrid's a stubborn old geyser," said Fred.

"He won't listen," said George.

"I don't want him to get sacked," said Harry unhappily.

"Neither do we," Ginny told him emphatically.

There was a long silence. Everyone seemed to be deep in thought. Then Ginny said, her voice quavering, "We really mean it, you know. You scared us to death."

"Yeah, bloody hell, mate," said Ron. "When we were told that you almost ... died, we went crazy."

"We couldn't lose you as well as Dad," Ginny said fiercely. "We weren't going to let that happen."

"Well, I'm here now, and I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon," Harry said, smiling softly.

"You'd better not," said George, "or we'll bring you back to life so we can kill you ourselves."

This got a chuckle out of the assembled group, and then Cho asked, "When you saw Cedric, what did he say?"

Harry thought for a moment. "He said that he still loves you very much," he told her, and then he embraced her as a few soft sobs escaped her. "He told me to keep taking care of you."

"Well, you're doing that very well," said Cho with a tiny, tear-filled laugh. "God, I miss him more than ever."

At that moment, the adults walked back into the room. The Weasleys, Neville, Harry, Cho, and Hermione spent a few more minutes together. Mrs. Weasley explained that now that Arthur was gone, she was going to look for a job.

"I know what you'd be good at," said Remus, looking at the kind-faced woman. "You'd be an excellent cook."

"Yeah," said George. "Absolutely!"

"I can attest to that," said Fred proudly. "Our mum here's the best cook in the world!"

Mrs. Weasley smiled shakily. "Do you really think I could do that?" she asked. "Maybe find a job in a restaurant somewhere?"

"There're plenty of places in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade that could use your help, I'm sure," said Sirius. "I wish you luck with that."

"Thank you," Mrs. Weasley replied. She knew that it would be extremely hard without her husband, but she was going to do everything she could to help her family through this. If it had been she who had died, she knew Arthur would be strong, so she had to do the same for him.

"Have you heard from Percy at all?" asked Remus tentatively.

"No," Ron scowled, his demeanor growing angry. "Haven't heard from the prat at all. He doesn't even care that Dad's dead."

"Ron, that may not be true," Hermione told him quietly. "He may just be too embarrassed by his behavior right now to show up."

"Well, Fudge and the damn Ministry still won't admit the truth, even after this," grunted Fred. "They think it was a Death Eater, not You-Know-Who, who released the snake on Dad."

"They're a ridiculous bunch of morons, and if Percy wants to come back in our lives, he'd better grovel on his hands and knees for forgiveness," growled George.

"Boys," said Mrs. Weasley, "please give your brother the benefit of the doubt." Fred, George, and Ron just shook their heads disgustedly in response.

"Don't worry," said Sirius, "the Ministry'll believe it after a while, they'll have no choice. When Voldemort ..." There was a flinch from some of the people in the room, "brings himself out in the open, they'll be ashamed of themselves."

"I hope so," said Cho. "They need to believe it, so they can start preparing the wizarding community."

After a few more minutes of talking, the Weasleys, Cho, Hermione, and Neville departed. "I hope you can make it for the funeral," said Mrs. Weasley as she hugged Harry one more time. "It wouldn't be right, not having you there."

"Feel better, Harry," Fred and George said together. "We'll see you soon."

"Take care, Harry," Hermione told him. "I hope your final few days of recovery go well."

"Bye, mate," said Ron, clapping Harry on the back again. "See you later."

"We all care about you so much, Harry," Ginny said as she gave him a last gentle hug, all the others nodding in agreement.

And with this sentiment, the group of friends left the room, closing the door quietly behind them.

Harry gave a sigh of relief, and Sirius said gently, "There you go, kiddo. The Weasleys are your faithful friends; they'll never leave you."

Harry stared at his guardians, more emotion filling his insides. He truly had wonderful friends, and they had proven to him this day that they would always be there for him. Remus gave Harry a tender kiss on the forehead as the boy said, "I know," and laid his head down on the pillow. It had been a taxing, emotion-filled Christmas Day, and the fifteen-year-old boy was exhausted.

And he fell asleep just after his head hit the pillow, thoughts of his friends' love and affection filling his mind as he drifted off.


	59. A Difficult Day

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thanks so much for the reviews! I am still so tuched by all your wonderful comments. Reading them makes my day! Receiving reviews is truly one of the best things about being a writer! And especially if I feel down, they always help. I used to believe that no words could do that when I was in a bad mood, but I was proved wrong. I appreciate all of you so much!

Here's the next chapter. Just to warn you, Percy comes off badly in it, especially to a lot of our beloved characters, but I don't plan to leave it here. Later on in the story, I will be exploring his character much more deeply.

Chapter 59: A Difficult Day

Luckily, Harry did get out of St. Mungo's in time for Arthur's funeral. On December 27, the Healers pronounced him healthy enough to leave. His temperature was now completely normal, and all the dizziness and nausea had gone away. So Harry went back to 804 Lawdershod Avenue with Sirius and Remus.

He was extremely happy to be home. Everything looked just as it had the day he'd left, and it was wonderful to see his own bedroom again. He was nervous, though, for the funeral tomorrow, but he knew that at least his friends and guardians would be there for him.

The next day, December 28, Harry woke up bright and early. The funeral was going to be at ten o'clock, with the burial taking place afterwards. It would be in Ottery St. Catchpole, right in the church where Cedric's funeral had taken place. As Harry and his guardians joined the somber line that walked into the church, memories came back to Harry of the time six months ago when Cedric had been laid to rest. The pain and guilt came back to him, but he had to remember that Cedric didn't blame him. The recollections of the time Harry had spent with him, Arthur Weasley, and his parents were fading more and more as the days passed, but he knew he'd always remember the fact that he'd seen them at all.

Harry looked around at all the people who were attending Arthur's funeral. He saw the Weasleys along with Hermione, and he also spotted many Ministry workers. Mr. and Mrs. Diggory were there, along with Cornelius Fudge who was standing in the very front of the line.

When Harry, Sirius and Remus reached the site where Arthur's body lay, Harry felt agony tear through his heart. The vibrant and lovable Arthur Weasley was simply lying there, his hands resting peacefully at his sides. There was no pain visible on his face, and that, at least, was a comfort to Harry; the snakebite hadn't caused him to die hurting.

As with Cedric, when people passed Arthur's body, they'd throw a little trinket into the casket. When it was Harry's turn, he dropped one of the Muggle tapes he had lent him into the coffin. He put it in Arthur's limp hand, hoping that somewhere in that warm, peaceful place Harry had visited, he would never forget that Harry had cared deeply for him. He had welcomed him into his home with open arms, and Harry had appreciated every kind word he'd ever said.

As Harry looked around at the heartbroken Weasleys, he noticed that one of them was standing a long way away from the others. Standing right near Cornelius Fudge was none other than Percy. Harry could see in Mrs. Weasley's eyes the urge to rush to him and embrace him, to welcome him back into the fold, but the stony expressions on the rest of her family's faces told a different story. Bill and Charlie, who were standing closest to their mother, whispered something to her, and Harry wondered if the words they'd said had been something like "wait till later," because Mrs. Weasley just kept staring at Percy, looking so formal and regal standing alongside the Minister.

Harry felt anger twist his insides just looking at Fudge. How could he still not believe that Voldemort was back after a tragedy like this? One of the workers in his very own beloved Ministry had been killed, and he still wasn't acknowledging the fact that something was amiss. Luckily, Harry didn't see Umbridge, though; he knew he'd probably explode if she was here flanking Fudge as well.

The organ began to play, so Harry, Sirius, and Remus, along with all the others, went to sit down. Out of all the Weasleys, Harry could most visibly see Molly and Ginny's pain, and he wanted to do all he could to comfort them. So when they took seats, he slid in between them and offered every bit of sympathy he could give.

After the organ had finished playing, the reverend got up to speak. "We are here today to celebrate the life of Arthur Weasley," he said. "He was a loving, strong, and vibrant family man, who offered his support and kindness to his wife and many children. Today we will hear accounts of how he changed their lives for the better."

First, a man named Perkins, who had been Arthur's partner in the Ministry spoke. He talked of the work the two of them had done to help Muggles, and he expressed the sentiment that he had never seen someone so dedicated to his work. "Arthur Weasley held Muggles in high regard," Perkins explained. "He was willing to do numerous things to help them, and his services have helped many Muggles all over the country. He has worked tirelessly to stop any Muggle-baiting from occurring. Let us learn from his example."

Harry could see Percy sitting rigidly in a pew a little ways away from him. He could see the hard lines etched into his face as Perkins spoke of Arthur's work. It was plain to see that Percy hadn't agreed with what Arthur had chosen for his job. Harry could see the anger on Ron and the twins' faces as they glowered at Percy every now and then.

After Perkins had sat down, a hymn was sung, and then Bill got up to speak. "My dad was the best man in the world," he proclaimed, "and he was the most loving and giving. He taught us to choose right from wrong, and he made growing up in the Weasley household a pleasure." Harry put an arm around Molly and Ginny; both were crying freely.

"one thing you have heard already," continued Bill, "is that our dad loved Muggles. You should have seen how fascinated he was with them. Some may scorn him for this," he gave Percy a meaningful look, "but improving Muggle-wizard relations was very high on our father's list of priorities, and we must continue his legacy. I, being the oldest Weasley, feel it is my duty to tell you all what a special man he was.

"I'll never forget some of the things our dad did with us. There were snowball fights in the garden at the Burrow, pick-up Quidditch matches (although he was abysmal on a broomstick.") This caused some tearful laughter from the crowd. "He even took us to a Muggle football match once. He hardly ever yelled at us, but I do remember a time he screamed himself hoarse at Fred and George because they turned my younger brother's teddy bear into a spider." There were some more guffaws from the crowd. "But all in all, he was a very mild-mannered man.

"I have always, and will always, love my dad. Know that wherever you are now, we, being the famed Weasleys, will do all we can to make you proud. We'll always miss you, but we hope to see you on the other side.

"In the end, our dad died in a fight for what he believed in. He was strong and brave, and he will always be my hero. Unfortunately, many more of us will probably perish before the evil in today's wizarding society is defeated. But please, do not let his death be in vain." After these last words, Bill sat down in his seat.

Another hymn was sung, and then some more Ministry people got up to speak. Cornelius Fudge spoke of the contributions Arthur had made to society, and Harry could sense the anger radiating off the Weasleys as he rambled on and on. Fudge hadn't known Arthur at all, he was just pretending to offer his condolences when he didn't care in the slightest.

Harry shed some of his own tears as Charlie also gave a tribute to his father. He spoke of how he'd always been supportive in his quest to work with dragons, and he shared some of the jokes Arthur had told him during their youth. The Weasley women's pain was really getting to Harry and making him even more sad and guilty, but his resolve remained firm that he wouldn't run away from this. After all, they needed him, and he needed them.

After the service was over, everyone went outside for the burial. Harry could remember very clearly how moving and sad Cedric's had been, and Arthur's was just the same. Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, and Perkins helped to carry the now closed casket to the spot where he would be buried. The reverend quietly said the words, "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. may Merlin bless you, Arthur Weasley, and may you rest in peace."

As the casket was lowered into the ground, Ginny let out a heartwrenching sob and clung to Harry. Molly was being embraced by Remus; she had broken down also. Fred and George looked the most upset that Harry had ever seen them, and Ron...oh, poor Ron looked so shattered and confused. What was he supposed to do now, without his father? He had always been a beacon of strength, and now that he was gone, it left him floundering.

After the burial, Mrs. Weasley blew her nose on a handkerchief and said, "You are now all invited back to the Burrow." Harry, Sirius, and Remus agreed that indeed, they'd definitely come.

Molly looked around the graveyard, trying to search out Percy. But he was nowhere to be seen. Now that she thought about it, she couldn't remember seeing him at the burial. Anger and sadness burned within her as she realized he'd made his exit, all without saying goodbye. When she said this much to her family, Bill put a comforting hand on her shoulder and said in the strongest voice he could muster, "He'll come around, Mum. I think he's just very upset right now."

Fred glowered at Bill angrily. "Don't make excuses for him!" he snarled.

"Yeah, screw him anyway," sneered George.

"Who needs him?" growled Ron, his face as red as his hair. Harry couldn't help but sympathize with all three of them. He felt that the only reason Percy had shown up at all was to broadcast that he was in good standing with the Minister of Magic; he hadn't been there to support his grieving family at all.

Molly burst into another bout of fresh tears, and Bill silently apparated her back to the Burrow. Harry, Sirius, Remus, the Diggorys, Perkins, and the rest of the Weasleys followed.

The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent sharing stories of Arthur. Bill had finally gotten Mrs. Weasley into a semblance of calm, and was urging her to eat something. Harry and Hermione tried to talk with the two youngest Weasleys, but Ron hardly said anything at all, and Ginny barely registered her surroundings.

Staring at the Weasley clock also caused pain to surge through Harry. That clock had always been something Arthur had loved, and now his hand was lying on a spot that simply said, "In our hearts forever." Harry had to restrain Ron when he saw it; the redhead almost tore it off the wall, so deep was his fury. Harry had never seen Ron react so strongly to anything before, but he figured that this, to Ron, signaled the finality of the fact that his father was never coming back. He gently guided Ron to the couch and tried to distract him by giving him some food. He felt like an awful person, but was so confused about how to comfort him. Luckily, Ron sat and ate the food, but the whole time, he was staring into space.

As the guests started to leave, Harry glanced at Sirius and Remus, his own exhaustion showing. His guardians got the hint, and Harry said quiet goodbyes to all the grieving Weasleys. He hugged Molly and Ginny especially fervently, and told them gently that he'd always be there for them.

xxx

Once the Burrow was empty save for the depressed Weasley family and Hermione, who was staying with them until tomorrow when she'd be going back to her parents for the rest of the holiday, they all sat in the living room as the ticking of the clock resounded throughout the house.

"I can't believe this," Ron muttered, his head hanging down. "When it first happened, I didn't want to believe it, you know? Even that day we went to visit Harry in the hospital, it hadn't quite sunk in yet. But now I know ... he's really not coming back."

"It's awful," agreed Hermione, resting a hand tentatively on Ron's shoulder. "It's really terrible."

"I'm going to miss Daddy so much," said Ginny quietly, who was curled in her mother's arms. "It's going to be so tough without him."

"I know it is, Gin," Bill said gently. "But we're Weasleys, and he'd want us to be strong for him. The next little while's going to be hard, but we'll pull through this."

At that moment, there was a POP! Ginny scrambled out of her mother's arms, and Mrs. Weasley rushed to look out the window. "Oh my-Merlin!" she exclaimed as she stared, her mouth agape. "It's Percy!"

"What does he bloody want? He's not welcome here!" spat Ron.

"Ron ..." Hermione tried to placate him.

Mrs. Weasley ran to the door, waiting for Percy to knock. When he did, she flung the door open and threw her arms around him, sobbing unashamedly. "Oh, Percy!" she wept. "Oh, darling, thank God you've come home! I knew you would."

"Mother," Percy said stiffly, walking into the house. "Listen, this is not a social call. I came to talk to you all about something very important."

"Get on with it then, you traitor," Ron snarled. "What the hell's your problem, anyway?"

"Yeah," said George angrily. "Why did you bother to show up now, when you didn't earlier?"

"Watch that we don't hex you until you're unrecognizable!" Fred roared.

"Boys, please!" shrieked Mrs. Weasley through her tears. "Please don't antagonize him! He's come home, maybe he's here to apologize!"

Percy sat stiffly in an armchair, looking at his family with no expression on his face at all. "Look at you all," he said softly. "Look at how much your associations have cost you."

"Our what?" squeaked Ginny. "Our ... what?"

"Just spit it out, Percy," Ron sneered. "And don't try to impress us with your big words. Just spit it out!"

Percy stared at his brother, a hard look on his face. "I know why our father died," he said quietly. "The Minister told me. He lost his life because he associated himself with Albus Dumbledore."

"Yeah, and Dumbledore's a great man," said Bill, his own hard look coming upon his visage. "What's your point?"

"I am shocked and baffled that you do not see it," said Percy, gazing at his family with pity in his eyes. "If our father hadn't allied himself with Dumbledore, he wouldn't be dead right now. I don't exactly know what it was that he died protecting, but I know it has something to do with Harry Potter."

"If you're going to say one bad thing about Harry ..." Ginny whispered furiously.

"Look," said Percy pleadingly, "how can you not see that having ties to Harry Potter has cost our family a great price? I knew the boy was dangerous from the moment you went along with him, Ron, on your harebrained scheme to save the Philosopher's Stone. I knew that a member of this family would end up dead before long because of him. And Dumbledore, I'll never forgive him. He put our father in danger to protect a boy who makes false statements about You-Know-Who's return. I am only saying this for your own good, but I wish for you to sever ties with Harry Potter. Hopefully, our father's death has taught you that associating with him has cost too much. If you do, then, and only then, will I return home."

Everyone stared at Percy, looking at him in profound shock and disbelief. Then, pandemonium erupted.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Ron roared viciously, jumping out of his seat. "HOW FUCKING DARE YOU! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'D SAY SUCH BULLSHIT!" He started towards Percy, but a strong hand landed on his shoulder and held him back. It was Bill, and Ron struggled in vain to get out of his grip. "LET ME GO!" he was almost sobbing. "LET ME GO AND TEACH HIM A LESSON!"

"Percy, how could ... how could ..." Mrs. Weasley choked out, tears streaming down her face. "Percy, how could you say such awful things?"

"I hate you!" shouted Fred. "Harry's our brother in all that matters! Don't you know how much that kid has taken on? Don't you know how much he blames himself?"

"You bastard," yelled George. "Go to hell, Perce!"

"Percy, you're so obsessed with the Ministry, God, you're so blind," said Charlie sadly, putting his head down.

"I never want to see you again!" Ginny shrieked, giving what she considered the fiercest look she could possibly give him. "How dare you be so horrible about Harry! Dad's death wasn't his fault!"

But through all the cacophony, it was Bill's voice which resonated through the room, and it was the authoritativeness in it which struck everyone.

"Go, Percy," he said fiercely. "Go back to your ruddy Ministry, and think long and hard about what you're saying. I hope you realize that you've just insulted and degraded Dad in the worst way possible."

"Very well," said Percy, walking out of the room. Mrs. Weasley let out a wail of grief as the front door slammed.

Bill finally let Ron go, and the youngest Weasley boy let out a roar of pure rage. "THAT ... THAT ... THAT TOTAL ..." he bellowed. "I CAN'T BELIEVE HIM!"

All in all, it took many minutes for the Weasley family to calm down. When they finally went to bed that night, the only thought in their minds was: please, please make this all go away. I'll do anything to make this all stop.


	60. The Pain of Regret

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thanks so much, guys, for the fantastic reviews! Don't worry about Percy; as I said, I will definitely be exploring him more in further installments of this story.

Okay, a warning about this chapter. I know that in canon, it is clearly stated through the memories that Snape gave Harry that Snape's worst memory happened after the werewolf incident in the Marauders' school days. But in this story, I have made it so that it's reversed. Before DH came out, I always thought it had been Snape's near-death that changed the Marauders, James in particular.

All right, here goes!

Chapter 60: The Pain of Regret

Harry spent the rest of the Christmas break trying to get over Arthur's funeral. Seeing the Weasleys so downcast had been heartbreaking for him, and he knew it would be a long road ahead for his favorite family. He prayed that they'd find the strength to go on.

On the day he was set to head back to Hogwarts, Harry said goodbye to his guardians and got on the train with his friends. He could see that the distant look was still in Ron's eyes; he still looked as shattered and confused as he had the day of the funeral. Ginny looked very, very tired; she had dark circles under her eyes. Fred and George still weren't their normal, chipper selves, and Hermione was doing all she could to console everyone in the family.

The Weasleys had made a joint decision not to tell Harry about the debacle with Percy. Harry had already been through so much; it would be detrimental to him to learn how Percy felt about him. So they pretended, for Harry's sake, that Percy had never shown up at all.

Everyone tried to act normal on the train by playing games of Exploding Snap and munching on chocolate frogs, but the Weasleys' hearts just weren't in it. Harry, Neville, Hermione, and Cho tried everything they could to steer the topic of conversation to happier subjects.

"So," said Cho, "are you guys studying hard for your OWL's at the end of the year?"

"Don't remind me," groaned Ron. "I don't even want to think about it."

"I've still got a little more than a year until I take mine," said Ginny. "But I've already started to study."

"Good for you, Ginny," said Hermione approvingly. "It's always best to get ahead."

"Yeah, 'cause you've been studying since first year, right?" Ron tried to joke.

"Oh, Ronald," Hermione sighed. "What am I going to do with you?"

At that moment, the compartment door flew open, and in walked Draco Malfoy with Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson. Harry had a feeling that this altercation was not going to be good.

"So," drawled Malfoy, a horrible smirk on his face. "How were your holidays, Weasleys?"

"I'd shut up if I were you, Malfoy," Neville shot at him.

"I'm not scared of you, Longbottom," Malfoy sneered. "And I'm only asking them a simple, polite question. How were your holidays, Weasleys?"

Ron jumped to his feet, raising his wand. "Get the fuck out of here, Malfoy," he snarled.

"Why, what's the matter, Weasel?" snickered Malfoy. "Missing your old man?" Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy laughed raucously.

"You know what?" Cho said as she got to her feet as well. Harry held Ron back from punching the lights out of Malfoy as she continued, "You are a horrible person, Draco. It's really evil to get pleasure out of other people's pain. You should really think about what you're doing and saying. How would you like it if you lost one of your parents and people made fun of you for it?"

Malfoy just smirked. "Ooh, the crybaby's talking to me," he mocked. "She thinks she can teach me a lesson in morality. Well, go on, Potter. Keep hanging out with these filthy little traitors, and we'll see what happens to them as the Dark Lord's power grows!" And with that, he and his goons walked out of the compartment, grinning and chortling to themselves.

Harry let Ron go, and the redhead threw himself back in his seat. "Bastard," he roared. "I'd like to see his dad snuff it. Then maybe he'll know what it's like!"

"Ron, I know you're angry, but don't say that," implored Hermione.

"Who cares about the right thing right now, Hermione?" shrieked a tearful Ginny. "Malfoy's just a vicious, spiteful bully! And his father ... his father ..."

Harry put an arm around her, knowing that her connection to Lucius Malfoy was a very unpleasant one, because the elder Malfoy was the one who had put the diary in her cauldron and got the whole Tom Riddle shenanigans to start up.

"Calm down, Ginny, Ron," Hermione soothed. "He's just Malfoy."

"He may be just Malfoy, but he doesn't have any right to treat people like that," Harry fumed, keeping his arm around Ginny.

The ride went on in silence, each of the occupants of the compartment mulling in their own pessimistic thoughts. Harry groaned as a little later, the compartment door opened again. Please don't let it be Malfoy coming to taunt us some more, he prayed.

But his face brightened when he saw Helena, the second-year Slytherin, walk into the compartment with her friend Derek. Also trailing them were Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini.

"Don't worry," Helena said right away. "It's not Malfoy. I heard what he did earlier, he was snickering about it. He's a piece of crap. Just don't pay any attention to him."

Nott cleared his throat and looked seriously at the group. "Uh, um, I just wanted to say ..." he said slowly, "that I'm sincerely sorry for your loss over the holidays. I read about it in the Daily Prophet."

"Yeah," Derek chimed in. "That's really horrible. We're really sorry."

Harry exchanged glances with all his friends, and they marveled at how far S.A.N.E had come. A few years ago, it would be almost impossible for a Slytherin to reach out a hand to a grieving Gryffindor and vice versa, but now was different. The houses were truly uniting. "Thank you so much," Harry said sincerely. "That means a lot."

"And we all believe you about You-Know-Who being back," said Helena earnestly. "Is the DA still going to go on?"

"Yeah, it is," Ginny answered. "We'll let you know when the next meeting is. Look on your coin, okay?"

"We will," Derek promised, giving the group a shy smile. With that, the Slytherins left the compartment.

Ron sat with his mouth hanging open. "I never would have thought," he said in a shocked voice. "A bunch of Slytherins being nice to us."

"Well, that just proves again that they're not all bad," said Cho.

"I'm so glad we started S.A.N.E," said Ginny, and Harry fervently agreed.

xxx

The first week back at Hogwarts went as well as could be expected. Umbridge was still doing the same old rubbish, and Harry felt even more hatred towards her than he had the previous year because she and the Ministry were still in denial, even after Arthur's death. Harry was doing all he could to help Ron and Ginny, who were struggling with their concentration when it came to schoolwork. Arthur was always on their mind, and he was on Harry's too. But they did the best they could to survive.

Ron was now looking even more wildly for a way to undo the concealing charm on the back of his hand. Now more than ever, he needed to let the world know what Umbridge had done. Every night that he had no success, his resolve grew even stronger.

On Saturday, Sirius and Remus came for Harry's therapy session. The subject they were going to talk about with Harry had been on their minds for awhile, and little did the two men know that this particular session would truly open their eyes to some of the mistakes they'd made in their youth.

As Harry sat in the Room of Requirement, Remus asked gently, "Harry, remember that I told you in our last session that in this one, we're going to be talking more about your school experiences at the Dursleys."

"Yeah, okay," said Harry uncomfortably, preparing himself for the questions that were going to be asked of him.

"You said last session," said Sirius, "that there was one person who tried to defend you from Dudley's gang while you were there. Can you please tell me more about them?"

"All right," said Harry with a heavy heart. "Her name was Priscilla." he said in a monotone.

"What happened to her? You sound as if something did," said Remus.

"She moved away," said Harry, his head lowered. "To Australia."

"That's awful," said Sirius, bitter feelings of anger surging within his heart. It was just ironic that the only person who'd seemed to defend Harry had to leave the country. What a truly awful life Harry had led. "What was she like?"

"Well, she was scared of Dudley's gang," Harry told his guardians. "But she told them she thought they were bullies, and that she wished they'd stop doing the things they did."

"Did she defend you until the day she left?" asked Remus quietly.

"Yeah," said Harry sadly. "I remember the last day. The boys - Piers was one of them - remember, he came to the zoo with us the day I accidentally let that snake free."

"Yes, I remember you telling us about him," said Sirius. "Go on."

"Well, he and some other boys, along with Dudley, were teasing me," Harry admitted. He hesitated, not wanting to talk about this subject at all because it brought up such painful memories. Priscilla, the only light in his life at Privet Drive, had been taken away so quickly.

"Cub, it's okay," Remus soothed. "Just take your time."

"Can I ... would it be okay if you just saw the memory?" Harry asked slowly.

Remus and Sirius exchanged looks. Both of them thought it was better for Harry to get his feelings out by talking, but they could see on the boy's face that it would take a lot out of him. So they decided, for this time, to see the memory. They also had a sneaking suspicion that this memory would make them see things in a whole different way.

"Okay," Sirius agreed softly. Harry always brought his Pensieve to therapy sessions in case his two guardians wanted to see memories. He quickly took out his wand from his pocket, put it to his temple, and withdrew a silvery strand of memory. Then he placed it in the Pensieve.

"Okay, we'll be right back, pup," Sirius said gently, squeezing Harry's hand. Harry lay down on the couch as Sirius and Remus plunged their faces into the memory.

xxx

The two men found themselves standing in a schoolyard on a bright spring day. They saw happy, contented children playing with each other: skipping jumprope, singing songs, and truly having a wonderful time.

"Hey, freak!"

The voice caught Sirius and Remus by surprise, and they whirled around. What they saw made their blood boil: four boys were ganging up on a skinny, bespectacled boy with a mop of messy black hair.

"Please, I don't want any trouble," said Harry. "Please leave me alone."

"Awwww, the wittle baby's going to cwy," mocked one of the boys. "Piers, hold his hands behind his back, won't ya?"

"Sure thing, mate," said Piers. He grabbed Harry's hands. The boy tried to struggle, but no matter how much he did, the other boy was much too strong for him.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

Suddenly, another shout was heard, and a blue-eyed, curly-haired girl came running over. Sirius and Remus had a strange feeling of déja vu: something about this scene seemed extremely familiar.

Piers smiled at the girl. "Hey, Cilla, whatcha doin'?" he said jovially.

"What are you doing to Harry?" the girl, Priscilla, demanded. "What's your problem with him?"

"Ah, just playin' around with the little tike, that's all. No harm done," said another of the boys. "Let us have our fun."

"No, I won't!" exclaimed Priscilla stubbornly. "Get away from him!"

"It's all right, Priscilla," Harry said softly. "I can handle this."

"No, let me help you," Priscilla replied. Turning back to the four bullies, she demanded, "What has he ever done to you to deserve this treatment?" The two men watching the memory suddenly felt a terrible feeling of foreboding.

"Well ..." said Piers slowly, giving Harry a twisted smirk. "It's more the fact that he exists, really."

The two men exchanged a horrified, stricken look. They felt physically ill as they realized what Piers had just said. It was almost exactly what James Potter had said after their Defense Against the Dark Arts written O.W.L, outside at the lake. James and Sirius had been teasing Snape, and Lily had come to his rescue. "What's he done to you?" she had asked, and James, while mussing up his hair, had replied in a contented drawl, "Well, it's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean."

Remus and Sirius then realized how completely foolish and awful they'd been in their youth. James must have turned over in his grave if he watched that episode with Harry and the bullies from the afterlife, they both thought. Remus also felt awful and ashamed for not doing anything to stop James and Sirius from their little game. He had heard the common saying that evil flourished if good men did nothing, and this was exactly it.

Suddenly, they didn't want to see anymore of this memory. It had done its duty, after all; it had helped them put things in perspective. They knew that if James were alive now, he'd be mortified.

It was the Shrieking Shack incident, the two men reflected as they told the Pensieve to eject them from the memory, which had made the Marauders grow up. After that episode they had realized just how foolish they were, and they learned not to antagonize Snape anymore. James had even tried to apologize to Snape on the day before their graduation. Snape hadn't accepted the apology, but the other Marauders were proud of James for at least trying.

When they arrived back in the Room of Requirement, both men sat on the couch, and each one of them slipped an arm around Harry. They decided not to tell him about James's antics back in their school days; they knew that revealing this information would hurt Harry tremendously. They dearly hoped that the boy would never learn about it, never learn that Piers's words were almost an exact replica of the words James had used on that hot June day back in 1976. Both Marauders could remember the day after Harry had come into their care, the day they'd told Harry of some of the pranks they'd pulled. They remembered how they'd made light of the whole situation, only telling Harry of the good times. Please let him never find out about the bullying, they prayed.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that, cub," said Remus gently. "I know you were trying to fight back."

"Yeah," said Harry miserably. "They were too big and strong for me, though. They were right; I was pathetic and weak."

"You were not that at all," said Sirius fervently, truly feeling awful. "They were the pathetic ones, Harry. Usually, when people bully others, it means they are not confident about themselves. They try to bring others down so they can feel better."

Looking back, Sirius had to admit that that had been the reason why he'd picked on people back in his youth. He knew better than to make excuses, but he knew it had been because he'd felt horrible about his family situation during fifth year. Walburga and Orion Black had been on the verge of disowning him, saying he was cavorting with mudbloods and blood traitors. Even though he had had his friends, part of him still missed having the love of a parent and was angry that his family treated him the way they did. Unfortunately, he'd taken out that anger on Severus Snape. The pale, sallow-skinned boy had been the representation of everything Sirius hated.

While Sirius thought about this, Remus pondered over the reasons why he hadn't intervened when James and Sirius got up to their antics. He knew it was because he wanted to be liked so badly, and he was scared of his friends getting angry with him if he told them off. So that was why he'd stood by and done nothing, but he felt terrible about it now.

"Do you think so?" Harry asked, snapping his guardians back to the present. "Do you think that's why Dudley and his gang teased me? Because they don't feel good about themselves?"

"I've studied a lot of psychology over the years," Remus explained, "and that's definitely why."

"Why should Dudley feel bad about himself, though?" Harry wondered out loud. "His parents treat him like he is a piece of gold."

"Parents can give their children everything they want, but that doesn't always make their life perfect, pup," Sirius told him gently. "Maybe deep inside, Dudley is angry at his parents, or angry at the world. And he took that anger out on you."

"And it's not right that he did that, not by any means," Remus said seriously. "Please know that, okay?"

"Okay," Harry said, sighing. "I'll try."

"I know it's tough," Remus said softly. "Being bullied is never an easy thing. Never."

xxx

When the two men got home that night, leaving Harry in the safety of Hogwarts, they continued to ruminate on what they had seen that day.

"I wonder sometimes," said Sirius slowly, "about Snape. James had the notion that our bullying of him at school turned him into what he became. Well, it was Snape's own decision to become a Death Eater, but ..." He sighed miserably. "Do you think I helped cause that?"

It was the first time Sirius had really thought about this subject in depth. He'd told James not to be ridiculous when he'd brought it up, claiming that "Snivellus brought it all on himself". After it had been revealed to him that Snape had informed Voldemort of the prophecy, he'd only concentrated on the anger, the fury, the hatred he felt towards the other man. But now, it was as though a heavy block had landed on his heart. Did he have yet another reason to blame himself for James and Lily's deaths?

"Honestly, it's hard to know, Siri," Remus answered. "But you weren't the only one at fault; I was, too. I was a Prefect, and I didn't do anything to stop you."

"Yeah," Sirius said, his head bowed in regret. "What I saw today made me sick. It really made me hate bullies, and hate myself for what I used to be."

"I felt the same," Remus confessed. "But I guess this taught us how to be better people."

"S'pose it did," answered Sirius. "Our Harry's definitely teaching us a lot. I love him more than life itself. He's truly an inspiration"

"Yes." Remus said quietly. "Yes, truly."

"I know I can never make up for what I did back then," said Sirius. "But I pledge an oath to you, Remus, that I'll be better now."

"I know," Remus said, hugging his best friend. "I can see your feelings about this, and I know as well as you do that it's horrible to live with regret. But Siri, we can't go back, as hard as that is. But what we can do is move forward. We've been through a lot together, haven't we? We've come so far, and we've changed a lot. But that's what life's all about."

"Agreed," said Sirius, returning Remus's embrace, his eyes burning. But he knew Remus was right; they needed to move forward now. . "Indeed."


	61. Trust

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Hello everyone. I am so sorry I have not updated in so long. Several months ago, my hard drive crashed on me, and I lost everything. It didn't take long to get a new computer, but what took forever was getting the speech software I need on it, because I am blind. But finally, I have it back, and I'm all set. Over the last little while I have written a bunch of one-shots to help me get back into writing again, but now, I finally feel I am ready to delve back into this long project. Thank you all so much for your patience.

A really cool thing that happened to me was that at Christmas, Mum and Dad took what I'd written of Love is Immortal so far and bound it into a real book that I can show people. Of course, it can't be published, but it's cool that I can actually have a real copy of it!

Okay, here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 61: Trust

That night, Harry couldn't sleep. Thoughts of today's therapy session preyed heavily on his mind. For the longest time, he had tried not to think about the bullying he had undergone when he had lived with the Dursleys. But now, he could remember it precisely. He didn't blame his guardians at all - he knew they only wanted him to talk about his memories so he could feel better about them, and he knew it would take time. And right now, he could only think about how alone, how depressed he had felt at his old school.

Dudley had made it impossible for him to have any friends. As he had told his guardians, anyone who tried to befriend him would get beaten up, so many children didn't, out of fear. Others didn't because they agreed that Harry was a scruffy little freak who caused nothing but trouble.

Priscilla, the only person who had ever stood up for him there ... Harry wondered where she was now. He knew she'd moved to Australia, and hoped that wherever she was, she was doing well. He remembered the guilt in her eyes when she told him she was leaving. It was as if she felt she was abandoning him. She had told him she'd never forget him, and Harry had felt emotion bubble up in him then and still did now.

Giving up on sleep, Harry threw some clothes back on and tiptoed downstairs to the common room to sit by the fire. He didn't expect anyone else to be down there, but he was wrong. As he made his way over to a couch, he saw Ginny sitting down too, a book on her lap. She was simply staring at the page, not reading it. A sad look adorned her face, and Harry was strongly reminded of the day the Unforgivable Curses had been demonstrated in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and he had come down to the common room that night to see Ginny in a similar position. Things had changed so much since then.

"Hey, Gin," Harry said softly, sitting down next to her and patting her shoulder gently. "Are you okay?"

Ginny looked up from her book, and Harry's heart ached as he saw the remnants of tear tracks on her face. "Hey, Harry," she whispered. "I'm ... I'm okay."

"No, you're not," said Harry, tentatively putting an arm around her. "What's wrong?"

Ginny was silent for a few moments, simply gazing, mesmerized, at the fire. Finally, she sighed, and turned to look into Harry's concerned emerald eyes. "It's just ..." she said, wringing her hands. "I just really miss Dad."

Harry felt guilt squeeze his heart as his eyes locked with her soft brown ones, which filled again with tears. "I'm so sorry," he said. "This must be so hard for you."

Ginny felt awful. She wished Harry hadn't come down here, because she felt she needed to get through this on her own. The last thing she wanted was for Harry to feel that this was his fault, which she knew he was struggling with. She knew it had gotten better for him ever since he had sworn to have seen Arthur in that strange limbo place, the place he had gone to when he was in the coma over the Christmas holidays. But she also knew the guilt ate him up again when he saw people grieving. And with Cedric's death still on his mind, it made it doubly hard. All she could do was return Harry's embrace, managing a soft smile for him. "Remember what he said, Harry," she said softly. "None of this was your fault."

"I ... I know," Harry replied. "But I'm still really sorry. Your dad was a wonderful person."

"He was," Ginny sniffled, her head resting on Harry's shoulder. "But what's on your mind, Harry? Could you not sleep either?"

Harry looked into her eyes once again, and a warm feeling swept over him when he saw the sincerity, the trust in them. Despite her own grief, Ginny was still concerned about his own well-being. Normally, Harry would pretend that nothing was weighing him down, but once again, he felt he could talk to Ginny. There was just something about her that broke his barriers down and made it easier for him to explain his woes and worries.

So he told her everything. He told her about how he had shown Sirius and Remus the memory of that summer's day that seemed so long ago now, Priscilla's last day at their old school. "She was the only person who stood up to Dudley and his gang," he explained quietly, the fire crackling soothingly in the hearth. "She was really something. She knew Dudley and his friends could hurt her, but she didn't care. She tried to help me anyway."

"Oh, Harry," Ginny whispered, her head still nuzzled into his shoulder. "I'm so sorry she left. And I'm so sorry for what you had to go through." Her face suddenly grew fierce as she continued, "The rest of those kids were cowards. Why didn't they stand up for you too? I would have."

"I know you would, Gin," Harry said, squeezing her hand and smiling softly. "But you've got to understand how intimidating Dudley and his gang were. Nobody wanted to get beat up, and I could understand that."

"I still think it was cowardly of them not to stand up to them though. Bullying should not be tolerated," Ginny said adamantly. "Not at all."

The couple lapsed into silence then, simply relishing in the other's presence. It seemed to Harry that whenever he was down, this honest, loving girl was there to cheer him up, despite the awful things she had been through. Tom Riddle, experiencing the sorrow of Cedric's death, and now, the loss of her father ... yet she was here, beside him, wanting to listen to his problems and help him through them. As he stared at her, he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. Her red hair seemed to glow in the fire's warmth, and her arm around him felt so soft. Gently rubbing his hand up and down her shoulder, he decided to do something that Sirius and Remus had done for him which he had found very helpful. "Tell me, Gin," he said, smiling, "About some of the good times you had with your dad."

Ginny looked back up at him, surprise on her face for a moment. But then, she smiled back, and launched into speech. At first, Harry was worried that this tactic had not helped - she looked terribly sad and forlorn as she explained about Arthur's jokes, his laughter, his obsession with Muggles. But as her speech continued, she began to look happier.

"He was completely enthralled by Muggle batteries and the acid inside them," she said. "Mum was always on him to be careful, that he could really hurt himself messing with stuff like that. "Don't worry, Molly," he would always say. "I know what I'm doing. I say, though, this stuff is so wonderful! Muggles are amazing! I can't believe they'd think up all this stuff, and be able to do it all without magic!" That man was certainly a riot," she said, and then she laughed.

Harry's laugh joined hers, the sound of their joy echoing through the room. Harry was relieved that this was helping her - Sirius and Remus had employed the same tactic when asking him about Cedric.

Once their giggles had died down, the two simply relaxed back into the couch, and instinctively, Harry took her hand within his own. He entwined his fingers with hers, and Ginny smiled again. Harry was such a comfort to her, and for the first time in a long time, she was able to think of her dad without breaking down. The smile remained on her face as she reminisced about the good times they had had together. She remembered when he had given her piggy-back rides, when he had sat in the kitchen with her as her mum made hot chocolate. She recalled listening to Muggle casette tapes with him, marvelling at the music on them.

And before she knew it, she had fallen asleep, her insomnia cured. Here with Harry, she felt warm, content, and comfortable.

Harry grinned warmly as he heard the soft snores of the girl in his arms. He was glad she had fallen asleep - the circles under her eyes proved that she had needed it. Feeling suddenly exhausted himself, he allowed a feeling of complete relaxation to wash over him. He didn't want to move, and he certainly didn't want to disturb Ginny's slumber.

So, he stayed right where he was, his emerald eyes closing of their own accord. The last thought he had before he fell asleep was that he was so lucky to have Ginny in his life. He knew that no matter what happened, he would always be there for her. She was truly a person he could trust.

Author's Note: The tactic of talking about good times has come from my own experience. Once again, I thank each and every one of you who has made comments about my brother. I find it so uplifting to remember the good times with him, and it makes me smile rather than cry when I remember those.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! 


	62. Ghosts

Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Thanks for the reviews of the last chapter, I'm glad you guys enjoyed it. Here's the next one!

Chapter 62: Ghosts

The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, or number twelve, Grimmauld Place, was in need of a major clean. The job had already been started, but it was plain to see that it would take a long time to clean out the filth that was infesting the place. A reluctant Sirius, along with Moody, Remus, Tonks, Kingsley, Hestia Jones, Emmeline Vance, and even Dumbledore himself at times, took turns to rid it of its ghosts.

It was almost the end of January now, and on this particular day, Sirius, Remus, and Tonks had volunteered to clean. Sirius woke up in a foul mood, not at all looking forward to going back to the house where he relived so many bitter memories of the past. But, he thought to himself, even if I'm far from happy, there's something I need to do for Remus today.

So when they arrived at the house, he put on a falsely cheerful smile and said, "I'm going to go up and look at my room. Why don't you two clean the drawing room?"

Remus turned to Sirius, a look clearly in his eyes that said, why are you setting me up, Padfoot? Truth was, he and Tonks had rarely been alone together, and he knew his friend was trying to make it so they got to know each other better. But why? he wondered again. He knew the other man was trying to prove to him that he could have happiness, but Remus knew that once Tonks found out what he was, she'd want nothing to do with him. He was too lucky, in his opinion, to have the people he did in his life.

When Remus gave Sirius that stare, though, Sirius just shook his head at him and started to head upstairs to his room. Sighing exasperatedly, Remus eventually turned to Tonks. "I ... I guess we should do as Sirius says, then," he said slowly.

Tonks gave him a bright smile, either oblivious to his mood or ignoring it. "Okay," she said cheerfully, her bubble-gum pink hair seeming to shine. She was very pretty, Remus noticed as the two made their way to the drawing room.

They worked in silence for a while, and Tonks sighed mentally. She'd not been oblivious to Remus's mood at all. On the contrary, she knew the man was very closed off, and he was hiding a lot of ghosts. And Tonks knew about ghosts. Her mother got the same brooding look whenever she remembered her family. What was Remus hiding? Why did he look so guarded? Deciding she'd try and break him out of his shell, she started a conversation.

"So," she said, smiling softly. "How is young Harry doing?"

Remus turned to her, a smile of his own coming to his face. "He is a wonderful young man," he said, his voice sincere. "Honestly, I don't know how he is coping with everything."

"Because you and Sirius are helping him, that's why," Tonks said, her smile widening. "I haven't seen him in a while, as you know. But I am glad he is doing well. I hope to see him again soon."

"I'm sure you will," Remus said.

Silence descended on the couple again, and Tonks knew she had to keep this conversation going. "I hear you were a real mischief-maker in school," she said. "I was, too. I used to love making myself look like the teachers, and then be out past curfew without drawing attention."

A grin stole onto Remus's face. "Being a Metamorphmagus must be so useful," he said, laughing slightly. "Having James's invisibility cloak was a help in my schooldays too. Really helped us with our pranks."

Tonks giggled. "What were some of them?" she asked curiously.

"Well," said Remus slowly, reminiscing once again on those days. "There was the time we sneaked into Filch's office and put a Dungbomb in there. Then there was the Polyjuice Potion prank, where all four of us pretended to be each other for an hour each."

Tonks gasped in delight. "What a great idea!" she exclaimed. "I never even thought of doing anything like that! You were so creative!"

Remus, beginning to feel slightly more comfortable, smiled at her. "It was James who thought of it," he said. "He was the most creative out of the four of us."

"But you helped," said Tonks. "That ..."

Suddenly, her speech stopped. A rattling sound was coming from one of the drawers of a desk in the far corner of the room. Remus immediately went over to it, knowing what it was. Tonks joined him, also aware of what was inside.

"Let me take care of it, Nymphadora," Remus said softly, knowing that when the boggart revealed itself, he could immediately banish it. He knew in all likelihood that Tonks wouldn't even see its shape. And he definitely didn't want Tonks to have to face her worst fear.

"Don't call me Nymphadora, Remus!" Tonks said exasperatedly as the rattling continued. "Are you sure? I can do it if you like."

"No, it's okay," replied Remus, amused that the young woman before him hated her given name so much. He thought, himself, that it was beautiful. "Let me."

"Okay." Tonks said softly, secretly relieved but also feeling guilty. She did not want Remus to have to face his fear, but she didn't want to face her Aunt Bellatrix either. Her wild, cackling face, the manic gleam in her eyes ... the look of her on the cover of the newspapers filled her heart with dread.

Remus went over to the drawer, and slowly opened it. He raised his wand, his happy memory already in his mind, the memory of the conversation he'd had with his friends when they'd found out what he was and didn't care. He also knew he should make it funny, to banish the boggart, so he imagined the full moon turning into a crystal ball and speaking with Professor Trelawney's voice.

But what slithered out of the drawer was not the glowing full moon. Staring in horror at the figure growing before him, Remus's wand lowered without him realizing it.

Standing before him was a woman, mutilated and torn apart beyond anything he had ever seen. But even under all the blood, shattered bone, and splintered muscle, he knew what he was looking at. The look on her face and the color of her eyes gave it away at once. "Julia," he whispered hoarsely, his entire body going numb.

"You have no right to say my name, werewolf," boggart-Julia spat, blood dripping from her extremeties. "I know what you're doing, and I am more disgusted with you than I have ever been before. You are attempting to have the beautiful young woman you are conversing with fall into the same trap you had me fall into. You are nothing but a monster. You don't deserve to live, let alone talk to anyone."

"Julia ..." Remus whispered again, collapsing to his knees with grief. "Please, Julia, I ..."

"Do you know what my last mortal thought was?" the boggart snarled, her face red with rage, more blood spilling from every part of her. "I knew it was you, Remus. I knew it was you, seeking revenge for me leaving you. You killed me, you monster, and you plan to do the same thing to Tonks, don't you?"

"RIDDIKULUS!"

A shocked, furious voice suddenly made itself heard, and the boggart screeched. The mangled, bloody body of the only woman Remus had ever loved suddenly turned into a blob of Jell-O. Tonks let out a tiny giggle, and the boggart vanished.

Remus was still on his knees, breathing hard, tears trickling their way down his cheeks. And Tonks, staring at him, finally knew the secret Remus had been hiding. The man, collapsed in grief and horror on the floor, was a werewolf. Sympathy and sadness washed over her as she saw him reduced to the state he was in. The man's guardedness, his unwillingness to talk to those he didn't know, his closed-off attitude ... she understood everything now.

She fell to her knees beside him, taking his hand in her own. "Remus," she said softly. "Remus, please look at me."

Slowly, the man lifted his head and looked at Tonks, his face streaked with tears. "Tonks ..." he whispered. "Tonks, I'm so sorry. I know you probably want nothing to do with me now."

"That is nonsense, Remus," Tonks said firmly but softly. "It's not about what you are. It's about who you are. I see how Sirius and Harry act around you; they know and they don't care. And I feel the same way. My mum always told me not to judge a person until you've walked a mile in their shoes."

Remus looked stunned as he looked Tonks directly in the eyes. "I'm a monster, Nymphadora," he said in a barely controlled voice. "Didn't you see who that boggart was?"

"Who was she?" Tonks said quietly, not even reprimanding him for calling her by that dreaded name. "Was she a girlfriend?"

"Yes," Remus whispered, his head bowing again in shame. "We dated for a long time. Two years. When she found out what I was, she ... she ..."

"She left you," Tonks said, anger bubbling in her stomach. "Didn't she?"

"Yes," Remus replied, his voice barely audible. "And the next day, she was found dead. Killed by a werewolf. Not me," he added quickly, "but isn't it ironic? She finds out she's dating a werewolf one day, and that night she's killed by one. Of course she would have thought it was me. I was even afraid it was, too, but I was safe in my house all along, biting and scratching at myself." The last few words were said with such a deep pain that Tonks felt her heart clench.

"Oh, Remus," she said, putting her arms around the distraught man. She felt tears spring to her own eyes as she realized the magnitude of Remus's ghosts. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I never knew anything about what happened to Julia."

"It still tortures me," Remus admitted, reluctantly returning Tonks's embrace. "Sirius still has to convince me sometimes that it wasn't me who killed her."

"Remus," Tonks said, suddenly realizing something as the puzzle pieces started to fit together. "Is Sirius an Animagus because of you? I always wondered why he became one. I always thought it was for the adventure, but ... the way he acts around you ..."

"Yes." Remus knew he couldn't lie to her, the look in her eyes was so earnest. "When the rest of the Marauders found out what I was, they promised to help me. They became Animagi for me. They could have gotten themselves into so much trouble ..."

"True friendship," Tonks said, smiling softly. "I always knew they were attached to you in a special way. Remus, I need you to understand, none of this is your fault. You can't help what you are. You are one of the kindest, most sincere people I've ever met. I feel the same way as Sirius and Harry - Remus, I don't care that you're a werewolf. You're not a monster. You are a human being, loving and kind."

Remus looked into her heart-shaped face, seeing the truth in her eyes. Her hair had morphed into a sad brown as she expressed her emotions. Wiping his tears away, he managed a smile for her. "You don't know what that means to me," he said softly.

"Well, it's true," said Tonks, squeezing his shoulder in comfort. "And I should have been the one to face that boggart. I'm sorry you had to. I feel awful."

"It's okay," Remus said softly. "I ... I wasn't expecting that to happen. I thought the boggart would take the shape of the full moon. It usually does."

"Oh," Tonks said in understanding. "I get it." Helping Remus to his feet, her smile widened as she said, "How about we go and check on Sirius? He's been in his room for a long time."

"Okay," said Remus, smiling genuinely. With the beautiful woman by his side, yet another person who didn't care about his lycanthropy, he followed her out of the drawing room, away from the ghosts of his past. He felt emotionally drained, yet could still smile. Tonks's hair changed back to bubble-gum pink as they went up the stairs to Sirius's room.

Tonks didn't think he was a monster. Tonks didn't care about what he was, she only cared about who he was.

And that, Remus thought, bathed his soul in happiness. 


End file.
